Avow’s Palliative Care program is the first in Florida to receive Community Health Accreditation Partner certification
Avow’s Palliative Care Program has gone through rigorous reviews and examinations to receive Community Health Accreditation Partner (CHAP) certification, which evaluates Avow’s services against nationally recognized palliative care standards. Avow’s Palliative Care program is the only palliative care program in Florida to be certified by CHAP.
The certification, which lasts three years, was based on a site visit in April and submission of a development plan. While the Avow team uses state-of-the-art software, tools and techniques, they never take their focus off the empathetic, heart-centered nature of their work.
“Avow’s palliative care program continues to be a pioneer in community-based services that meet the unique needs of each patient as well as their family. We are excited to have this latest accolade that will demonstrate to the community our continuing commitment to provide innovative care and symptom relief to those suffering from chronic and serious illness,” said Avow President and CEO Jaysen Roa, who also serves as chairman of the Florida Hospice and Palliative Care Association Board of Directors. “Our mission statement says it best: Avow’s promise is to create peace of mind by providing compassionate care and support to those who need us. We make that promise to everyone in our community. These results show in patient surveys, with 97.9% of patients satisfied with symptom management care they received and 98.8% recommending Avow’s palliative care program to others.”
Palliative care provides comfort for individuals living with serious illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, lung disease and kidney failure. The purpose of palliative care is to alleviate the physical symptoms and emotional distress related to diseases and/or medical treatments. Avow’s Palliative Care team can see patients in the outpatient clinic on Avow’s campus or wherever a patient calls home. Palliative care can be offered during treatments for illness and its purpose is to improve the patient’s quality of life during treatment.
Avow Palliative Care Services is also a member of the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC). CAPC is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the availability of quality health care for people living with a serious illness and provides organizations with training, tools and technical assistance.
The Lyon Center was built at the Avow campus in 2016 in-part through a financial gift from Naples philanthropist Thelma Lyon, allowing Avow to expand its palliative care services for adults and children. In 2021, the program cared for 331 patients.
The Palliative Care program is sustained financially beyond what is covered by insurance and for the uninsured through donations. The Avow Compassionate Care Society, launched this year, recognizes community members who each give a minimum of $10,000 annually, demonstrating their exceptional commitment to supporting non-hospice palliative care.
About Avow
Avow was founded in 1983 as Collier County’s original, not-for-profit hospice. Today, Avow’s nonprofit companies provide palliative care consultations for adults facing chronic or serious illness and hospice care and bereavement support services for children and adults. To learn more about the scope of services provided by Avow, call 239-261-4404 or visit www.avowcares.org.
