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10/16/2020
Wentworth-Douglass Hospital is pleased to announce that Agata Marszalek, MD, and the Wentworth Health Partners Supportive & Palliative Care Team has been honored with the prestigious Ira Byock & Yvonne Corbeil Award by the Home Care, Hospice & Palliative Care Alliance of New Hampshire. This annual award recognizes a provider that has improved quality, expanded access, and increased efficiency in delivering the best care possible to patients with serious illness in New Hampshire. The award was established in 2013 to honor the work in advancing palliative care that was accomplished by Ira and Yvonne during their ten years in New Hampshire.
This dedicated team is led by Medical Director, Dr. Agata Marszalek who was recognized for her clear and steady vision in creating a palliative care program at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital. Dr. Marszalek is a devoted champion of palliative care and has coordinated efforts to train and educate colleagues, students, and hospital administration on the importance of palliative care in patient care and outcomes.
The discipline of palliative care involves working with patients and their families after the diagnosis of a serious illness to manage symptoms, provide emotional support, and discuss available treatment options to improve quality of life. Wentworth-Douglass Hospital has one of the largest palliative care teams in New Hampshire and the largest team in the Seacoast. This award-winning team includes physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, a chaplain, a practice manager, and an administrative assistant. This team also works across service lines in the areas of inpatient care, cancer care, and clinic care, which makes Wentworth-Douglass Hospital’s Supportive & Palliative Care team unique in the communities they serve.
Dr. Henry Sonneborn, Medical Oncologist at the Wentworth-Douglass Hospital Seacoast Cancer Center says, “This Palliative Care team has been a game changer for me in the delivery of cancer care. They are critical in assessing the needs of each patient. As a team, not one individual does it all – each member of the team identifies the unique need within their scope and addresses it. This adds another whole dimension to the care that I provide, and as a result, I have seen improved outcomes and patient satisfaction.”
Historically, this prestigious award has been granted to individuals, making the Wentworth Health Partners Supportive & Palliative Care the first team to be awarded the Ira Byock & Yvonne Corbeil Award. This Award is especially meaningful for Dr. Sarah MacDuffie, who after witnessing the amazing work of Dr. Ira Byock and Yvonne Corbeil firsthand, strived to be part of an outstanding palliative care team. This dream coming to fruition is what motivated Dr. MacDuffie to submit a nomination.
Dr. MacDuffie says, “The collaborative efforts of this team have resulted in the ability to touch the lives of thousands of patients and families in multiple settings including our clinic, inpatient units, and the Seacoast Cancer Center; to coordinate with referring providers and agencies - both within and outside the Wentworth-Douglass system - for a more comprehensive approach to serious illness; and to provide palliative care education on both local and national levels.