The Johns Hopkins All Children’s Palliative Care program enhances the quality of life and reduces pain and suffering for infants, children and adolescents who have a serious or complicated condition.
The Palliative Care program at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital consists of a team of experts specially trained in pediatric palliative care. Our goal is to improve the quality of life for patients and their families and provide patients with relief from the symptoms and stress of a serious illness or complicated condition. Our team includes hospice and palliative medicine pediatricians, nurse practitioners, child life specialists, social workers and chaplains.
Our palliative team provides patients and families with long-term continuity of care between services and multiple admissions and is available to patients in all areas of our hospital. We also work with each child’s care provider and communicate among the patient, family and health care team to give families the information and guidance needed to make the best health care decisions for their child.
Who We Treat
We treat a wide range of conditions, including:
- Cancer
- Genetic disorders
- Premature birth
- Heart and lung conditions
- Neurological disorders
If your child’s condition is not listed, please contact us to learn how we can help.
Our Services
Our team provides a variety of support services, including:
- Easing pain and other symptoms. We improve the patient’s and family’s quality of life by easing the child’s pain and managing symptoms.
- Establishing goals of care. The palliative care team works closely with the family and the child’s health care providers to establish treatment goals and clarify priorities of care.
- Health care decision making. Our team explains complicated terms, discusses care options with the family and helps them make decisions based on their values, traditions and preferences.
- Emotional support. We provide emotional, social and spiritual support to help patients and families carry on with everyday life.
- Communicating with providers to coordinate care. We provide communication among the patient, family and health care team to give families the information and guidance needed to make the best health care decisions for their child. We also promote continuity of care between services and multiple admissions.
- Sibling support. We understand that when one family member is hospitalized, the entire family is affected. Our team helps siblings understand their brother’s or sister’s diagnosis or medical care. We also help support continued bonds and normal family experiences during extended separations and disruption to family routines caused by hospitalization. Learn More >>
- Integrating community resources. We work with community resources to link hospital programs with community-based home care.
Meet Our Experts
Our team includes pediatricians, nurse practitioners, child life specialists, social workers and chaplains specifically trained in pediatric palliative care medicine.
Fellows in Training
The Johns Hopkins All Children’s Palliative Care Program offers special training for physicians in pediatric palliative care through their accredited fellowship program.
Our fellows care for patients and families and provide the highest quality of palliative care services in collaboration with a supervising physician across the medical specialties including;
With the goal of working towards leadership and an autonomous skillset, fellows are expected to teach residents and medical students and guide them through the practice of Palliative Medicine. We expect this skill set to only enhance their leadership upon graduation from the training program. For more information click here.
Contact Us
Families can ask their doctor, nurse or other health care provider if palliative care is right for them or contact us directly. We currently provide inpatient consult services.
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Meet our experts
