Community-based program blends palliative medicine with curative treatment to provide the most comprehensive medical care possible

Nothing is more important than the health and well-being of a child. Carolina Caring is pleased to announce the launch of Cardinal Kids, a community-based palliative care program dedicated to helping children and their families face the challenges of serious illness. The program began seeing patients Sept. 1 in Burke, Alexander, Catawba and Lincoln counties but, as demand for care increases, will eventually be expanded to all of the nonprofit organization’s 12-county service area in North Carolina.

Cardinal Kids provides palliative and hospice care to children from birth to young adulthood, as well as social and spiritual support for their families. Clinicians work closely with the child, his or her physicians, and the child’s family to manage and treat the physical symptoms caused by serious illness. Care is most often delivered directly in the child’s home but can also be provided in the hospital setting. The program’s top priority is to ensure an appropriate level of comfort based on a plan of expert, individualized health care.

Led by Vice President of Pediatric Physician Services Brooke Hata, MD, and Director of Pediatric Palliative Care Dannelle Hester, RN, BSN, IBCLC, Cardinal Kids clinicians work in partnership with the child’s primary physicians to develop care plans that complement the care the child is already receiving. Cardinal Kids blends palliative medicine with curative treatment to provide the most comprehensive medical care possible.

“We created Cardinal Kids to help families navigate the challenges that arise when a child is diagnosed with a life-limiting illness or condition,” says Dave Cook, President and CEO of Carolina Caring. “Our goal is to help improve their quality of life as they face the symptoms and stress of serious illness, and deliver our care with the utmost compassion and commitment.”

For more information, call 828.466.0466. Families may call for a consultation; they do not have to be referred by a doctor.