Christmas tree benefit for Care Partners

After years of community work to build an end-of-life care program for Cook County, Care Partners was established in 2010 as a collaborative of the Cook County North Shore Hospital, North Shore Health Care Foundation and the Sawtooth Mountain Clinic. Care Partners provides comfort care (palliative care) for those with advanced illness as well as those at end of life.

Care Partner’s RN, Jeannette Lindgren meets with clients with advanced illness and their caregivers. She coordinates support for a whole range of concerns they might face. Examples include medical concerns, managing uncomfortable symptoms, health care planning, the practical issues of staying in the home—even emotional, social or spiritual issues. Care Partners’ goal is to support clients in living the best quality of life possible according to their goals.

To provide this range of support in our rural setting, Care Partners uses a community approach. The Care Partners Nurse works closely with the client’s physician and helps coordinate with other community resources such as those provided by the Cook County Health & Human Services. Local clergy work with the Care Partners team to provide spiritual support and understanding. Care Partners volunteers can provide excellent support just by visiting the client. The client may want to talk or get help writing letters or be read to, or they may just want someone to be there so they are not alone.
 

Care Partners services are provided free of charge. This program is funded by generous donations from the community, the North Shore Health Care Foundation, the Cook County Community Fund, Operation Round-up, Minnesota Power, the Stratis Health Rural Palliative Care Initiative and the Lloyd K. Johnson Foundation and through a Community Service/Community Services Development Grant from the Minnesota Department of Human Services.