(The Center Square) – Care for people in rural Wisconsin suffering from long-term or serious illness could soon be on the way.
If bill aimed at establishing a taxpayer-funded advisory council for specialized health care combating life-threatening illnesses gets through the state Senate, access in rural communities could be improved.
Assembly Bill 23, which received overwhelming bipartisan support in a 96-1 vote, would establish the Palliative Care Council to consult with and advise the Department of Health Services on expanding access to palliative care services.
According to the Wisconsin Hospice and Palliative Care Association, palliative care is specialized, integrated medical care for people with serious life-threatening illnesses such as cancer, congestive heart failure, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.
The treatment focuses on providing patients and families with relief from symptoms, pain and stress.
“Palliative care is not limited to any age or prognosis, but instead focuses on helping anyone with a serious or chronic illness by providing tailored support to improve quality of life,” Sen. Jesse James, R-Thorp, said in a statement. “This type of treatment should be available to any patient or family that wishes access to it. However, many are unable to benefit due to limited access and awareness of palliative care. That is what this legislation aims to address.”
The bill requires Palliative Care Council members include a statewide group of medical and clinical professionals specialized in palliative care, as well as patients and their relatives. Additionally, the DHS must establish a statewide palliative care information and education program to make comprehensive and accurate information available to consumers, professionals, and the general public.
The council would help expand care to Wisconsin hospitals and communities that do not yet have access to it, according to WiHPCA board chair Lynne Sexten.
“Access to palliative care varies widely across our state,” Sexten said. “In particular, over half of rural hospitals do not provide any type of palliative care specialists. Home and clinic-based palliative care is also available in Wisconsin, but it is extremely limited.”
Because this care is meant for the sickest and most vulnerable patients and their families, palliative care specialists could include physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains, and any other care specialists working alongside a patient’s doctor to provide support, according to WiHPCA.
While the council may consult or advise the DHS on palliative care, it may not recommend physician-assisted suicide, euthanasia, medical aid in dying, or any other act that would lead to a deliberate end of life other than an advance directive withdrawing healthcare or an attorney for healthcare permitting the natural process of dying.
