• Pallative group

    Support for you and your family while living with cancer

Supportive Medicine Clinic

Supportive medicine (palliative care) is specialized medical care for people with serious illnesses. We focus on reducing patients’ pain and other symptoms through a team approach. Expert medical care is combined with social, emotional and spiritual care to help you manage the stress of illness.

Supportive medicine is appropriate for people at any stage of cancer. It can be provided at the same time as your cancer treatment.

In 2016, The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) recommended that “inpatients and outpatients with advanced cancer should receive dedicated palliative care services, early in the disease course, concurrent with active treatment.”

Studies show that patients who receive concurrent palliative care tend to fare better than those who do not. Benefits include significant reductions in pain, fatigue, insomnia, depression and anxiety, as well as considerable improvements in overall quality of life and an enhanced ability to cope with a difficult prognosis.

We help you feel as good as possible to improve the quality of your life, while coping with the treatment and the symptoms of cancer.

Patients who receive palliative care tend to fare better than those who do not.

Ask your oncologist about a referral to Supportive Medicine.

Our goal is to provide relief from symptoms such as:

  • Pain or discomfort
  • Fatigue
  • Constipation
  • Nausea
  • Shortness of breath
  • Anxiety and/or depression
  • Loss of appetite
  • Difficulty sleeping
  • Spiritual distress
  • Family stress

Our team includes physicians, nurses, social workers and chaplains to support you and your family.

Working together with your oncology team, supportive medicine helps you better understand your medical condition and your choices for medical care. By talking with you and listening to your goals, the supportive medicine team will help you match those goals to your treatment options, giving you more control over your care.

We are here to support you and your family throughout this process.

How to get a referral to Supportive Medicine Clinic

For a referral to Supportive Medicine Clinic, discuss your concerns with your oncologist.

For more resources, please visit the Patient and Family Learning Center