When your loved one is admitted to the hospital and can benefit from our services, please request a consult through your primary team.

The Palliative Care Service at Boston Medical Center is an interdisciplinary service that will help you and your family live as well as you can when facing a serious or life-threatening illness. Our team will work collaboratively with you and your primary care provider, hospital specialists, nurses, chaplains and social worker at any stage of your illness; while you are receiving curative or life-prolonging treatments or if you are seriously ill.

What is Palliative Care?

Palliative care focuses special attention to the physical, psychological, and spiritual needs of patients and their loved ones who are living with life-threatening illnesses. Comfort, preserving dignity, and promoting quality of life are all important. Palliative care can be provided at any stage of illness and integrated with all other medical treatments.

Services Provided

Treatment to relieve pain and other symptoms

Palliative treatments focus on bringing pain and other burdensome symptoms (nausea, shortness of breath, fatigue, etc.) under control to maximize your quality of life

Emotional and spiritual support

Serious illness can be frightening, sad, lonely, and stressful for both patients and their loved ones. We can help foster a setting to improve how you can support each other through the illness.

Excellent communication and coordination of care

Often times, information about the illness and care can be confusing and overwhelming. We can serve as a resource for you and your loved ones to discuss concerns and questions.

Assist and support treatment choices and decisions

Deciding on future treatments often can be difficult and complex. We can help you and your loved ones discuss concerns about future care while respecting your values and personal choices.

Help in planning for care after the hospital

There are several options for care outside of the hospital. We can serve as a resource to help you and your loved ones choose the most appropriate arrangement of services, based on symptom and psychosocial needs, personal preferences, and community resources.

Inpatient Care

Palliative care is offered to patients in the hospital in the Menino Pavilion (840 Harrison Avenue) inpatient unit.

Donations

Donations to the Boston Medical Center Palliative Care will help to support patients and their families. On the online donation form under Designation, please select Apply where funds are most needed, and then list “Palliative Care” in the Additional Information: Comments box.

You may also mail your contribution (and make check payable to): Palliative Care

Boston Medical Center
Office of Development
960 Massachusetts Avenue, 2nd Floor
Boston, MA 02118

philanthropy@bmc.org

Thank you for your support.

For More Information

Please call: 617.414.7591 to learn more, or contact your healthcare provider.