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18 sANTA CrUZ WoMAN | sUMMer 2016 Physician sharon tapper grew up with a vision to help people heal, get well, live. Yet, these days, she's more focused on giving them comfort at the end of their life, helping them as they die. it is an avocation borne of her experience with patients as well as her own personal experience with life-threatening illnesses, says tapper, pioneering medical director of palliative care programs at dominican Hospital and Palo alto Medical foundation. tapper shifted to end-of-life and palliative care after 17 years in private practice as an internist and a life-changing diagnosis in 1999 of Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer that took her brother's life when he was 21. "i went through an existential journey to decide whether i should keep doing my craft, medicine, or become a fulltime mom and concentrate on my family and raising my children," she says. it took a while to decide that she needed to strike a balance with career and family. "i set my own boundaries about how available i wanted to be to both, something i encourage all women to do." a year after her diagnosis, tapper emerged healthy and with a new perspective on medicine. she had become intensely interested in palliative medicine and joined the board of the Hospice caring Project through Hospice of santa cruz county. she became medical director for the nonprofit organization. she then worked to design and implement a palliative care program at dominican Hospital in santa cruz. although in 2005, tapper was treated for breast cancer, the next year, she pushed on to develop an inpatient palliative care program that was implemented in 23 hospitals in northern california. "What i've noticed is that patients do better and feel better and sometimes live longer with palliative care," she says. "Plus, hospitals save money." When symptoms are better managed and patients understand their options, they tend to choose less-aggressive treatments. What was still missing, however, was outpatient, follow-up palliative care. Many patients, absent a program to manage their care at home, were using emergency rooms as a default support system. in 2011, tapper spearheaded PaMf Palliative care and support services, a program for seriously ill patients at home or in a nursing home, medical clinic or hospital. the program now serves more than 200 patients a day locally and has expanded to more than 800 patients a day across northern california. tapper plans to expand the program to support the entire sutter Health footprint of 5 million patients. "i have had several cancers in my life, but i have forged on because that's how i am," tapper says. "that first cancer leveled me as far as what death and dying mean and my comfort level with it as a woman and as a physician. through my own illnesses, i have become very clear about the importance of palliative medicine." Caring to the End palliative care physician sharon Tapper strengthens end-of-life care "Through my own illnesses, I have become very clear about the importance of palliative medicine." By Lisa Crawford Watson Sharon Tapper Medical Director Photo by Lexie Corfiatis Sharon Tapper heads up palliative care programs for Dominican Hospital and PAMF. Photo by Lexie Corfiatis.