How do you promote a team in the community ?
Health Care Professional:
South East: The team is well known in the community for a number of reasons. The program has been around for 34 years and is very well respected by the community. It is promoted by a number of organizations that help to fundraise.
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Helen Pyle – Lead Physician, Ian Anderson House, Oakville, ON:
Anyone can refer a patient to the Palliative Care Team. CCAC brings all their palliative clients to the table. Due to numbers in our community we really only want to deal with cancer and ALS or end stage cardiac or renal patients. We cannot possibly manage all demented patients even if they are deemed palliative. In the 105 minutes of our team meeting we struggle to get through what is now about 100 patients. All the key disciplines on the team advocate for the team. The Cancer clinics in Hamilton, Mississauga and Toronto are all aware of our team and refer to us. We have had a significant number of our patients come onto the team as a couple. That means that after one has passed away the other usually wants the same level of support.
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Palliative Nurse Practitioner:
Niagara North: Thus far we have not had to actively “promote”. The community nurses know we are here, we meet every 2 weeks as a broader team for rounds, we have met with hospital discharge planners and collaborated with the ER to avoid admissions and facilitate continuity of care. I am an employee of CCAC and I am positioned on the palliative team so I work closely with the care coordinators as well.
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Clinical Navigator:
Niagara North: Our office is located inside a Medical Building that houses 12 physicians, the word got out quickly that this team was in place.
Health Care Professional – Central LHIN: We do regular presentations and education sessions for the CCAC, for primary nurses, parish nurses, family health teams, community health centres, hospitals and the cancer centre. We also facilitate interprofessional rounds in the community at 9 different venues across the LHIN, where patients are reviewed and education is provided.