Brian Gardam, executive director of Hospice and Palliative Care of St. Lawrence Valley accepts a grant from Cheryl Thisse of Corning’s Canton plant.

CANTON -- Hospice and Palliative Care of St. Lawrence Valley expanded its palliative care program last year to further address the needs of patients experiencing a chronic illness thanks in part to support from Corning .

Palliative care is provided by an interdisciplinary team of physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers and other disciplines as appropriate.

“A critical aspect of ensuring a good quality of life involves helping the patient and family to understand their illness, services and treatments available and, most importantly the wishes of the patient, said Brian Gardam, Executive Director for Hospice.

“The expansion of the Palliative Care program has enabled us to begin working with patients earlier in their illness, well before they are appropriate for hospice care” he said.

There is no road map, each patient and family need support for different issues. We are deeply grateful to the Corning Incorporated Foundation for their support of Palliative Care case management” Gardam said.

Over the course of the past year, we have seen many patients successfully manage their illness and enjoy a good quality of life. We look forward to assisting many more patients and their families in the future, the generosity of the Corning Incorporated Foundation will help to ensure that patients and their families have access to case management and follow- up” he continued.

The Corning Incorporated Foundation has supported Hospice and Palliative Care of St. Lawrence Valley to assist with programs that work to improve quality of life for the residents of the community for several years.

“We appreciate the support of the Corning Incorporated Foundation and the employees of the Canton Plant. The North Country is very fortunate to have a company dedicated to community service and improving quality of life,” said Gardam.