Palliative Medicine

The Right Idea at the Right Time

Palliative Medicine is a specialty which addresses relief of suffering of patients with advanced progressive chronic diseases and offers patients and their families the best quality of life.

What is Palliative Care?

Palliative care addresses pain and symptom control along with psychosocial and spiritual needs of the patient, with the goal of improving the quality of life and to reduce stress of illness for the patients and families. It is offered in conjunction with all the other appropriate curative treatments. A patient can receive blood transfusions, chemotherapy, dialysis, or radiation treatments while on palliative care.

It is provided by an interdisciplinary team, which works closely with the patient’s primary care or attending physician to help with pain and symptom control, while other curative or appropriate treatment is occurring. The core team members are a Palliative Care trained physician, nurse and social workers. Other supportive members include clergy, rehab professionals, pharmacists, psychologists and psychiatrists. The Palliative Care team supports the attending physician and other health care providers; it does not replace the patient established health care team.

Patients & Family Information

Appropriate Palliative Care Referring Criteria for Physicians

Meet our Palliative Care Physician

Tahira Naviwala, M.D. is board certified in Internal Medicine, Geriatrics, and Palliative Care. She is a graduate of Karachi University in Pakistan. Dr. Naviwala completed a Fellowship in Geriatrics from the University of Virginia and is also Fellowship trained in Palliative Medicine from South Texas Veterans Hospital in San Antonio, Texas. She is a member of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and the American Geriatrics Society and a member of American Academy of hospice and Palliative Medicine International Issues Task Force.

For more information about Palliative Care at CJW Medical Center, please ask your physician or call (804) 267-6129.