From left to right: Fran Silverman, LCSW-R Director of Social Work; Wendy Egan, LSCW, Senior Social Worker; Barbara Barnett, MD, Chief Medical Officer.
We provide exceptional medical care, but often patients need more than that if they have a chronic, severe, or complicated illness. Dealing with long-term pain, side effects of medications, emotional stress, family situations, and a very complex healthcare system or care plan can be challenging. Our palliative care and social work teams provide an extra layer of support when patients need it. They do outstanding work in understanding and communicating the patient’s needs to the entire care team so that our patients and their families receive a comprehensive and holistic approach to meeting all their needs.
The sister of a patient who died under our care wrote to express her gratitude for these teams who made the end of her brother’s life less painful and more peaceful. See a section of her letter below:
“I want to thank your staff for the excellent, compassionate care my brother received while he was a patient at Beth Israel (before his death in July 2017). From the Palliative Care Team, I am especially grateful to Dr. Matthew Schaikewitz, Dr. Noelle Marie Javier, Dr. Coleman, Dr. Anup Bharani, and Dr. Joseph Kristan. Their highly skilled training showed. They were outstanding diagnosticians, always gentle and patient. He was a sometimes very difficult patient. They kept him comfortable and helped him meet his goals before he passed. From social work, Wendy Egan was outstanding in educating my brother about his non-medical affairs. She was especially gracious in communicating those discussions with me. Even after his passing, she explained the necessary steps for cremation. As an out-of-stater and novice handling these affairs, I so appreciated her wisdom, experience, and guidance. On prior admissions, my brother was also very faithfully assisted by Erica Stewart, Janiss Chen, and Taylor Wayne. Their follow-up went above and beyond the call of duty, very impressive and deserving of mention. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you and this stellar staff who transcended their job descriptions. They are special in their calling.”
I agree. Thank you for your constantly going beyond the call of duty for our patients.
Some of the Palliative Care team, left to right: Noelle Marie Javier, MD; Anup Bharani, MD; Nathan Goldstein, MD.
Social Workers Taylor Wayne, LMSW, and Erica Stewart.