Beyond Bedside Manner:
Jennifer Salant, MD, FAAP, is the Director of the Pediatric Advanced Care Team (PACT) and a pediatric critical care physician at NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children’s Hospital. She is running the TCS New York City Marathon to raise support for palliative care programming.
This will be my third time running the TCS New York City Marathon to raise funds and awareness for the Pediatric Advanced Care Team (PACT), the pediatric palliative care program at Komansky Children’s Hospital. Each year, I am driven by our community and the opportunity to make an impact together.
Pediatric palliative care is not just about end-of-life care; it is about improving quality of life for children with serious illness. From the time of diagnosis through every step of their medical journey, we focus on one thing: living well.
This means something different for every family, and for that reason palliative care is an interdisciplinary specialty that draws on expertise from medical teams, spiritual care, child life specialists, social work, and the creative arts therapies. Our work includes managing pain and symptoms, offering emotional and spiritual support, and assisting families in making complex medical decisions.
Our goal is to walk alongside children and their families as they navigate serious illness, honoring their strengths and losses, as well as their deepest goals and values, to help them live as fully as possible.
I run this year’s TCS NYC Marathon to support the continued growth and development of our pediatric palliative care program, ensuring that we have the resources we need to provide the highest-quality, comprehensive, and compassionate care to all our patients.
Members of the Pediatric Advanced Care Team (PACT) at NewYork-Presbyterian/Komansky Children’s Hospital.
From left to right: Teresa Vente, DO, MPH; Stephen Douglas, MDiv, MFA; Claire Slusarz, CPNP; Jennifer Salant, MD.
In addition to enhancing our current services, we address a major need in New York City: the creation of a pediatric bereavement follow-up program. This program will support families through their grief journey, offering ongoing care and resources during one of the most challenging times of their lives.
Establishing this program would help position NewYork-Presbyterian to be a leader not just in world-class medical care, but also in supporting individuals going through the hardest times of their lives. A bereavement program requires significant philanthropy, as it involves dedicated staff, specialized training, and tailored resources to meet the unique needs of grieving families. With your support, we can provide this crucial service to help families navigate their grief with compassion and understanding.
Every contribution, no matter the size, makes a significant impact on the lives of our patients and their families. Together, we can make a difference and provide hope, comfort, and care to the children and families who need it most.