Fall 2023 | Issue 10 | Page 2
Palliative Care Provider Highlight : Program Highlight : Palliative Care at Regional
One Health – Memphis Article by : Dr . Jeffrey Nelson , Medical Director , and Kaitlin Higginbotham , Program Manager
Regional One Health Medical Center is a 300 + bed , acute care hospital in Memphis , TN , that is known for being one of the busiest level 1 trauma centers in the country , serving a 150-mile radius that includes parts \ of Tennessee , Mississippi , Arkansas , and Missouri , as well as known for having the only full-service burn center in a 400-mile radius . Along with trauma and burn care , Regional One Health offers highly specialized care in neonatology , obstetrics and gynecology , oncology , and primary care and offers many multispecialty clinics and pharmacies geared toward the unique needs of the patients in the community . Regional One Health Medical Center provides care for some of the most complex medical and surgical cases in the region .
The newly formed palliative care program launched in July 2022 after nearly two years of planning and collaboration with hospital leadership , clinical leaders , and with the support of the Memphis community .
From left to right : Nakesha McCollins , Palliative NP ; Tonya Arnold , Palliative SW ; Kaitlin Higginbotham , Palliative Program Manager ; Dr . Jeffrey Nelson , Palliative Program Medical Director
Consultation with the experts at UAB was integral to this process . The initial focus has been on fielding palliative care needs in the inpatient setting , particularly for trauma , burn , and oncology patients . In this time , the team has had humbling ( and sometimes overwhelming ) success , supporting nearly 700 patients and their families during difficult hospitalizations . They have nearly doubled their projected patient volumes , showing the need for such services in these difficult patient populations . As the program settles into inpatient care , the focus is moving toward palliative medicine across the care-continuum , and the hope is to create a paradigm of care that includes inpatient , clinic- and home-based palliative care , which will make for a program offering a suite of services unique to the region which they serve .
Dr . Jeffrey Nelson , who serves as the Medical Director of the Palliative Care team , collaborated with the organization ’ s trauma and burn providers to establish evidence-based criteria to be used as screening tools in those areas . This screening criteria is now used to initiate palliative consults within the first twenty-four hours of a patient ’ s admission in both trauma and burn to allow for earlier intervention into patients ’ hospital stay to help improve quality of life and decrease emotional and physical burden .
Along with this , the team has partnered with the trauma service in conducting and publishing research that aims to advance the fund of knowledge and set standards of care in this unique group of patients for whom evidence-based practices need further development .
Along with this , the team has partnered with the trauma service in conducting and publishing research that
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