New Grant Approved for Expanded Palliative Care Program at BCH

Navigating the complexities of end-of-life care can be overwhelming for patients, families, and care teams. The National Institutes of Health reports that, in the U.S., more than 10% of health care spending occurs in the last six months of life, and about a third of all deaths happen in hospitals. At Boulder Community Health, we recognize the need to address these challenges head-on by expanding our palliative care services and recently approved a grant to support this care team.

What is palliative care?

Palliative care focuses on improving the quality of life for patients with serious illnesses. In all of BCH’s critical care and medical/surgical units, palliative care has been linked to reduced hospital stays, admissions and overall costs. More importantly, it improves both patient and caregiver outcomes by offering compassionate support aligned with patients' health goals.

What palliative care looks like at BCH

Currently, BCH’s palliative care program provides services through a care team of two advanced practice care nurses – a Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Nurse Specialist – and three part-time nurses. They offer advanced care planning, family support, and end-of-life guidance. To further support our patients, we are excited to welcome Dr. Barry Platnick, a trauma surgeon and palliative care specialist who will be joining BCH this fall.

Our approach is inspired by a successful program led by Dr. Barry Platnick at a regional level one trauma center. This program focused on pre-operative palliative care for cancer patients undergoing major surgeries. The results were promising; patients experienced shorter hospital stays, fewer readmissions, and improved documentation decision making with family involvement. This model demonstrated the effectiveness of integrating palliative care early in the treatment process.

At BCH, we are committed to implementing a system-wide, multidisciplinary palliative care program.

Our goal is to integrate outpatient and inpatient palliative care services, starting with oncology and complex elective surgical patients. By collaborating with experts like Dr. Platnick and Dr. Liz Lycett, Medical Director of Geriatrics at BCH, we aim to enhance access to palliative care throughout our community health system.

Expanding our palliative care program at BCH is not just about increasing services; it’s about improving the overall quality of care for our patients and their families. We believe that by investing in comprehensive palliative care, we can better support patients through their most challenging times and make a meaningful impact on their lives.