The newly opened palliative care unit at Community Hospital O’Leary will bring Prince Edward Island’s highest-available level of palliative care to West Prince residents, said Health and Wellness Minister Doug Currie.
“Palliative care is an integral part of Prince Edward Island’s commitment to providing every Islander with the health services they require at every stage of their life,” Minister Currie said. “Our government’s continued commitment to the long-term viability of our health system has enabled us to respond to the needs of our population for many years to come.”
Palliative care is a combination of active and compassionate therapies intended to comfort and support those who are living with or dying from a life-threatening illness, along with their families. It is intended to allow people to die in comfort and with dignity without pain or emotional or psychological distress.
The new four-bed unit at Community Hospital O’Leary will bring a new level of palliative care expertise to the West Prince community. Staff have received specialized training over the last several years and have continued to develop their skills. The unit’s design imitates a home-like setting to make patients and their families more comfortable.
“We were able to benefit from the experience of our other units and design this unit to meet both the clinical needs of our patients and the emotional needs of families,” said Dr. Mirelle Lecours, Health PEI’s provincial palliative care medical consultant. “This facility is certainly unique on Prince Edward Island, and it will surely become a model for other provinces.”
For more information on Health PEI’s palliative care program, visit www.healthpei.ca/palliativecare.