New Projects to Foster Palliative Care Services in Rural Communities

Published Monday, April 19, 2010

UCare has awarded Stratis Health funding to continue to build palliative care capacity in rural Minnesota communities through two projects: direct community development through technical assistance and support, and an online resource center.

Palliative care is an approach to managing serious and advanced illness, centering on relieving suffering and improving quality of life for patients and their families. Palliative care customizes treatment to meet the needs of each individual, seeking to relieve pain, anxiety, shortness of breath, fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite and other symptoms and to provide emotional and spiritual support. Practitioners of palliative care help patients and their families understand treatment options, and facilitate effective communication among health care professionals, patients, and family members. This interdisciplinary care can be offered in a variety of health care settings: hospitals, long-term care facilities, or home.

“No single model of palliative care implementation is right across all rural communities. Stratis Health is working with different communities to explore and develop the various forms that palliative care programs may take in the rural setting,” said Jennifer Lundblad, PhD, MBA, president and CEO, Stratis Health. “We want to assist rural communities in providing appropriate and compassionate care for patients with life-limiting illness.”

The National Priority Partnership recently identified palliative and end of life care as one of six priorities for the American health care system.

“With an aging population and an overall rise in chronic conditions, palliative care is becoming increasingly important,” said Barry Baines, M.D., associate medical director at UCare. “As a health plan, we feel it’s imperative to support and expand this emerging field within the health care community. This approach offers individuals and families compassion, comfort, and peace of mind during difficult times.”

Through the new Rural Palliative Care Community Development Project, Stratis Health will provide one-on-one foundational support and technical assistance for communities looking to start or strengthen their community-based palliative care services. Stratis Health currently is recruiting six rural communities from around Minnesota for this 10-month project. To be eligible, a community must be served by a hospital with 100 or less licensed beds. Application materials >

Funding will also support the development of an online resource center aimed at fostering palliative care in rural communities. Many resources are available on palliative care, but this is the first Web site to focus on palliative care to meet the unique needs of rural communities. The site will build on the actionable resources and best practices pulled together and posted for the communities in Stratis Health’s Minnesota Rural Palliative Care Initiative.

These two projects follow on the success of the Stratis Health led Minnesota Rural Palliative Care Initiative through which 10 rural Minnesota communities participated in an 18-month initiative to establish or strengthen palliative care programs in their communities. UCare funded the initiative and Fairview Health Services’ Palliative Care Program provided clinical and operational expertise. Stratis Health also led a rural health quality technical assistance pilot project, in conjunction with the National Rural Health Association, with three communities across the country.

“Palliative care is a patient-centered approach that fits well with the move toward involving patients more in their own care,” said Lundblad. “It improves patient care by helping patients and their families plan for the best quality of life—however they choose to define quality for themselves.”

UCare is an independent, nonprofit health plan providing health care and administrative services to more than 147,000 members. UCare partners with health care providers, counties, and community organizations to create and deliver innovative health coverage plans.