Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA), one of the nation’s largest pediatric health care systems, is committed to being a model for pediatric care.  With more than 30 pediatric specialties, Children’s provides care at three hospitals and sixteen neighborhood locations throughout metro Atlanta. Children’s manages more than a half million patient visits annually and strives to enhance the lives of children through excellence in patient care, research and education.

For more information about CHOA, please go to http://www.choa.org/About-Childrens.

The Pediatric Palliative Care Program at CHOA

The mission of the Pediatric Palliative Care Program at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta is to identify and treat suffering in children with life-threatening conditions and their families. To accomplish this mission, the team provides direct patient care through the program's clinical consult service, the Pediatric Advanced Care Team (PACT), as well as programmatic support--education, training, policy, advocacy, and research-- in an effort to improve care in all phases of disease.

Importantly, as suffering associated with life-threatening conditions occurs in all phases of illness (even when cure is the focus of care), these services can be beneficial to any child with a life-threatening condition, even if they are fully expected to recover. The PAC Team, therefore, collaborates effectively with teams throughout the healthcare system and works with children in all phases of disease.

Specifically, we work to accomplish our mission by:

• Facilitating communication between patients, family members, and health care providers;
• Assisting families in decisions that best reflect the values and preferences of the patients and family members;
• Improving patients’ and families’ quality of life;
• Improving the management of symptoms that cause discomfort or hinder functioning;
• Providing emotional, social, and spiritual support;
• Promoting the continuity of care for patients and their families;
• Delivering effective education programs to health care staff;
• Conducting research to better inform how we can best care for children with life-threatening conditions and support for their families.

Palliative Care Team at CHOA

• Khaliah Johnson, MD, MS, Medical Director

• Katharine Brock, MD, MS

• Emilee Flynn, MD, MPH, Assistant Program Director,
  Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship Program

• Erin Keane, PNP-BC

• Jeffrey Klick, MD

• Nick Krawiecki, MD

• Kayla Overstreet, PNP

• Allison Pellettieri, MSSW, LCSW

• Anna Roche, NP

• Maura Savage, LCSW

• Meghan Tracewski, MSN, CPNP, ACHPN

• Jasmine Williams, MD