The South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations (SDAHO) continues to highlight the many resources available through the LifeCircle webpage. This week, we’re shining a light on the Palliative Care section and the tools available to help health care professionals better support patients living with serious illness.
As visitors explore the page, they’ll see a powerful reminder from Dr. Arif Kamal: “Palliative care is no longer something that’s ‘nice’ to have. It’s a have to have.” The page also includes a clear definition of palliative care, an introductory video, and helpful information explaining the difference between palliative care and hospice care.
Health care professionals can explore several key resources, including:
- Adult and Pediatric Palliative Care: Learn how palliative care provides an extra layer of support for people living with serious illness, helping reduce symptoms, improve quality of life, and ensure care aligns with a patient’s goals.
- Specialty Palliative Care: Discover how interdisciplinary teams—including physicians, nurses, social workers, pharmacists, and chaplains—support patients with complex symptoms, challenging care decisions, and difficult family dynamics.
- Specialty Care Referrals: Access a statewide directory and interactive map to find specialty palliative care providers and programs across South Dakota.
- Primary Palliative Care: Learn how providers without specialty training can still deliver essential palliative care, including symptom management, goals-of-care discussions, and transitions to hospice.
The page also features easy-to-understand explanations of important concepts such as quality of life, symptom management, holistic care, and support for patients and caregivers.
Access to palliative care remains limited in South Dakota, with only a small number of board-certified hospice and palliative care physicians serving the state. That’s why expanding knowledge, collaboration, and resources through networks like LifeCircle is so important.
To learn more about palliative care resources and how they can support your work, visit:
lifecircle.sdaho.org/palliative-care
You can also learn about becoming a LifeCircle member. LifeCircle is a collaborative statewide network dedicated to improving care for people living with serious illness and supporting the health care professionals and families who care for them. Visit lifecircle.sdaho.org to learn more.
