COVINGTON – St. Tammany Quality Network (STQN) presented its 2017 first quarter Medical Director’s Award to Agustin Suarez MD, Oncology/Palliative Care Medicine, and Shirley Timmons APRN, for launching a highly successful inpatient palliative care program and developing a similar outpatient program.

“The combined leadership of Dr. Suarez and Ms. Timmons has been essential in propelling our palliative care program into the mainstream of patient care,” said Dr. Michael K. Hill STQN medical director. “They are actively reaching out into our community to educate caregivers, physicians and patients on the important role that palliative care medicine plays in improving care and outcomes.”

The National Cancer Institute defines palliative care as “care given to improve the quality of life of patients who have a serious or life-threatening disease, such as cancer. The goal of palliative care is to prevent or treat, as early as possible, the symptoms and side effects of the disease and its treatment, in addition to the related psychological, social and spiritual problems. The goal is not to cure. Palliative care is also called comfort care, supportive care, and symptom management.”

St. Tammany Quality Network continuously strives to keep the medical and nursing staff at St. Tammany Parish Hospital informed of best practices and how to best serve the patients of west St. Tammany Parish.

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The St. Tammany Quality Network is a physician-led organization that demonstrates a commitment to quality and outcomes by creating a medical community aligned around quality initiatives and payer engagement; using a common information technology platform to capture disease specific data to assist in proactive patient care; and collaborate on patient-centric initiatives that enhance the quality and improve efficiency of health care delivery.

A full-service acute care facility committed to providing world-class healthcare and the latest technology, St. Tammany Parish Hospital delivers today’s life-improving procedures with the utmost care to area residents with emphasis on wellness, preventive care and disease management close to home. STPH is a self-supporting not-for-profit community hospital; it receives no ad valorem tax funding. STPH.org