Specialized Services

A B C D E F G H I K L M N P R S T W All Services

Managing the care of a child with a life-threatening illness is one of the greatest challenges a family can face. At UCSF Children's Hospital, our Compass Care program provides comprehensive palliative care for children who require end-of-life care, as well as children with chronic life-threatening conditions who may live for many years or eventually be cured. Palliative care does not necessarily mean end-of-life care. For many children, it focuses on quality of life and relief of suffering and occurs in conjunction with curative or life-prolonging care.

Our team of experts includes doctors, nurses, social workers, child life specialists, spiritual care staff and pharmacists specially trained in palliative care. We work closely together to ensure that we meet your child's physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs at all stages of care. While our goal is to cure each child, when this is not possible, treatment focuses on maintaining a child's comfort, enhancing their quality of life and providing family support.

Services include:

• Care focusing on quality of life and relief of suffering. This includes pain and symptom management and if necessary, end-of-life care.
• Child and family support
• Child and family education
• Staff education on palliative care to ensure that each member of your child's health care team provides optimum care
• Care for families facing life-threatening conditions during pregnancy.
• Comfort Care Spaces in the pediatric unit and Center for Mothers and Newborns. These rooms are designed to provide a private, home-like atmosphere for end-of-life care.
• Comfort Care Cart for the pediatric unit. The cart is stocked with blankets, journals, snacks, neck pillows, books and other items that provide an extra measure of comfort for end-of-life care.
• Meeting families' spiritual, religious and cultural requests
• Family portraits for terminally ill children
• Family bereavement services, such as an annual memorial event
• Sibling services, such as Sibling Awareness Week
• Family resource library
• Family Support Program
• Assistance in identifying community home care or hospice resources

For more information or to make a donation, please contact:

Compass Care
505 Parnassus Ave. M-631
San Francisco, CA 94143-0106
Phone: (415) 353-1328
Fax: (415) 353-3729