Innovations in End-of-Life Care
an international journal of leaders in end-of-life care

Calvary Hospital
James Cimino, MD
Director Palliative Care Institute
1740 Eastchester Road
Bronx, New York 10461

Committed to staying on the leading edge of current advances in palliative medicine, particularly by upholding the values of preservation of dignity and non-abandonment of the patient and family at the end of life, Calvary Hospital was founded in 1899. Through the Palliative Care Institute, Calvary Hospital educates and informs others about how to improve end-of-life care. The Hospital has affiliations with Columbia University School of Nursing and the School of Social Work, Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center, New York University School of Education, Health, and Nursing Arts Professions, St. John's University College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Professionals, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, The Albert Einstein College of Medicine, and The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey/Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. These affiliations enable Calvary to reach further into the metropolitan population. A special grant allowed the Palliative Care Institute to embark on a collaborative effort with the staff of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center during 1998-1999.

The staff of Calvary Hospital includes physicians, nurses, dieticians, pharmacists, social workers, recreation therapists, technicians, and consultants, all experienced in advanced cancer care and reflecting the surrounding culturally diverse community. Interfaith pastoral care, family bereavement counseling, recreational therapy and a special patient/family advocacy department are an integral part of the Hospital's offerings. The comprehensive team is available to patients and their families twenty-four hours a day. The Clinical Review department conducts quality assessment and improvement studies throughout the year to measure quality of care, effectiveness of medication, and appropriate staffing. The Social Services department distributes, reviews and charts the results of patient and family satisfaction surveys for every inpatient. Volunteer enrollment is 210 individuals, 90 percent of whom are from the surrounding Bronx community.

The innovations within Calvary Hospital's programs include nutritional support, state-of-the-art pharmacological alleviation of pain, wound-care, pastoral education and counseling, and numerous community-based support programs in areas such as bereavement, grief and human development issues. Calvary is one of only a handful of institutions in the US that provides a completely restraint-free environment for patients. The individual focus on patient and family-centered care distinguishes Calvary Hospital as a leader in spiritual and physical health at the end of life.

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