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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Proponents pitch need for federal funding for palliative care programs

Health care providers made a pitch to U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers on Friday for federal support for expanding palliative care as a specialty at hospitals and clinics.

Patients with serious illnesses have better quality of life when both their emotional and medical needs are addressed, and they’re consulted about their goals during treatment, the providers said. Gina Moriarty, a 31-year-old Spokane woman who has cystic fibrosis, agreed.

“When you have chronic illness and pain, there are times when you just want to give up,” Moriarty, who is on a waiting list for a double-lung transplant, told McMorris Rodgers.

But since she was referred to Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center’s 15-member palliative care team, Moriarty said she knows she can get emotional support as well as help with pain management. The team includes social workers, chaplains, doctors and nurses. They work with Moriarty’s family members, too.

Sacred Heart has offered palliative care for about eight years. It’s sometimes confused with end-of-life care, but it’s for serious illnesses at any stage of diagnosis, said Andrea Chatburn, a Sacred Heart palliative care doctor. It started informally, but now it’s a recognized medical specialty.

Friday’s meeting with McMorris Rodgers was organized by the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network, which is seeking federal funding to train more professionals in the field of palliative care. U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, is a co-sponsor on the legislation, which would establish up to 24 palliative care training centers at medical schools for short-term training and would expand research on the benefits of palliative care. No costs have been identified yet.

“It’s the flagship legislation we’re working on,” said Chris Friend, a grass-roots manager for the Cancer Action Network.

He talked with McMorris Rodgers last fall in Washington, D.C., and invited her to a meeting when she was back in Eastern Washington. McMorris Rodgers mostly listened during Friday’s session, asking occasional questions. “This is still relatively new to me,” she said.

Palliative care has the potential to reduce health care costs by working with patients to better identify their goals for medical treatment, Friend said.

“I think we’re avoiding a lot of futile care,” said Bill Miller, a Sacred Heart chaplain. “We’re having people go to more dignified deaths with more comfort and support.”