Denver Health’s Palliative Care team provides a whole-person approach to caring for people with serious illnesses, such as cancer, COPD, heart failure, liver failure or kidney disease. We pride ourselves in helping patients and their families improve quality of life in response to their unique and changing needs throughout the course of an illness.
Palliative Care can be given at the same time as curative or life-prolonging therapy. Adding Palliative Medicine to your care team has been proven to help patients with serious illness live both longer and better lives.
Our Services
What does patient-centered care look like in Palliative Medicine?
- Patients and their families are seen by our interdisciplinary team, including a clinician, a nurse, a social worker and a chaplain.
- We help patients and families navigate tough situations while maintaining quality of life and the feelings of dignity and respect.
- Patients and families receive:
- a personalized plan of care to fit their needs.
- specialist support in distressing symptoms associated with advanced illnesses.
- help addressing the physical, social, spiritual and emotional distress that come with serious illness.
- ongoing discussions around goals of medical care and help with future planning including advance directives.
Locations of Services
We are proud to offer Palliative Medicine both when patients are in the hospital (“inpatient”) or in the community (“outpatient” or “clinic.”) Patients or their families can request a consult via their medical care teams.
Resources and Education
- Information and videos for providers, caregivers and patients from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
- American Cancer Society
- Center to Advance Palliative Care
- Get Palliative Care
- National Cancer Institute
- National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization
- Videos:
For Referring Providers:
- Inpatient referrals: please contact the Palliative Medicine team – see on call daily schedule
- Outpatient referrals: please place a referral under EPIC: ambulatory referral to Palliative Care
- External referrals: please call the appointment line at 303-436-4949