Northwest Community Hospital (NCH) in Arlington Heights has been announced as a LIVESTRONG® Community Impact Project award recipient. This is a significant milestone in the hospital’s quest to earn certification for palliative care and to be recognized for delivering superior care to individuals faced with a serious illness.

“We are humbled by the overwhelming support that’s been expressed by the community throughout this campaign,” says Karen Colby, who oversees palliative care at NCH. “This award will directly impact our ability to support those who are affected by cancer and other serious illnesses. We want to offer our appreciation to those who voted in support of our palliative care program.”

More than 200 qualified hospitals, cancer centers, university students and community organizations in eight regions across the United States were selected to participate in LIVESTRONG’s online voting campaign. Over a two-week period, more than 4,000 votes from the community were cast in support of NCH receiving a $10,000 financial award from the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

NCH will use the award to apply for Advanced Certification for Palliative Care, which was developed by the Joint Commission in 2011 to set standards and acknowledge hospitals providing state-of-the-art palliative care services. As part of the award, NCH also will receive tools and training to assist in qualifying for the Certification.

Palliative care helps to relieve the symptoms and stress of serious illness, and improves quality of life for patients by focusing on comfort and healing. Palliative care begins at any stage of a life-altering illness, working simultaneously with treatments that have cure or recovery as a goal.

NCH partners with Midwest Palliative & Hospice CareCenter to provide patients with this level of care in the hospital setting. Specialized palliative medicine clinicians who are experienced at coordinating complex medical care work with the patient, family and doctors to deliver a personalized plan of coordinated care and support.

The 2012 Community Impact Project will offer nearly $1.4 million in implementation awards to 90 finalists – like NCH – across the country. The Lance Armstrong Foundation, now known publicly as LIVESTRONG, was established in 1997 by the cancer survivor and champion cyclist to serve people living with cancer and empower communities to take action against the world’s leading cause of death. Since its inception, the organization has invested more than $70 million in community-centered organizations.

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