Since its beginning in 1994, Sharon Hospital has been at the forefront of its generation, providing much needed treatment for often unmet medical problems at low to no cost. And 2017 was no exception. Last year Sharon Hospital underwent a significant overhaul and expansion to meet the growing population of people in need of palliative care and children with disabilities. Sharon Hospital opened the doors of its new palliative care wing and construction continued on a new facility on the Sharon campus, the Children’s Wellness Center.

Children’s Wellness Center

Although construction on the new Children’s Wellness Center won’t be finished until this spring, it already began admitting patients last year. The Children’s Wellness Center is being established to reach disabled children with holistic care. Specifically, the center is reaching children with learning or physical disabilities, such as dyslexia, ADHD, autism and much more. Equipped with therapy rooms, consultation rooms and a pediatric ward, this one-of-a-kind facility is offering hope to some of the 26.8 million disabled children living in India.

Superstition, illiteracy and ignorance have traditionally left the families of the disabled unable to understand their child’s problem. And even in cases where the child has been properly diagnosed, the special centers, schools and doctors are much too far away and expensive. Now, children (and their families) can come to this facility to receive the care and therapy necessary for them to lead a healthy and successful life.

As each new child enters the facility, medical personnel assess the child’s situation and develop a comprehensive plan to care for each child’s physical, emotional, social, economic and spiritual needs.

Sharon Palliative Care Center

An estimated six million people need palliative care in India every year. Yet, only one percent of them have access to it. Within the entire state of Tamil Nadu (population 67.86 million), there are only six palliative care centers, and all six only serve the urban areas. Before Sharon Hospital’s Palliative Care Center, there were no options for people in rural areas needing specialized medical care for serious illnesses.

Sharon Hospital’s newly renovated Palliative Care Center wing is the first of its kind, offering both institutional and home care to patients living in nearby rural villages. The doctors, nurses and other medical staff are committed to providing patient-centered, family-oriented and community-based care and support in the last days of a person’s life. The center was established with the goal of bringing the best of human compassion and professional care to each person, in order to maintain their dignity amidst suffering.

At Sharon Palliative Care Center, people living with a terminal illness receive help to live as actively as possible, from the point of diagnosis to the end of life, through physical, emotional and spiritual support. Previously, a family’s only option was to watch their loved one struggle at home, often in intense pain and discomfort during their final days, unable to provide the necessary care the situation demanded. Now they can have peace of mind knowing their loved one is in good hands, receiving compassionate, quality care.