A PORT update

A result of years of advocacy, research and community mobilization, The Palliative Outreach Resource Team (PORT) is a new service helping people with life-limiting conditions and their caregivers to access palliative care in Victoria. It is mobile service co-delivered by Cool Aid Community Health Centre and Island Health with pilot funding from Saint Elizabeth Health.

While the official launch will happen in September, we have been spending time connecting with and getting a sense of the various community organizations that help support the inner city population including SOLID, 713 Outreach, Pacifica Housing, Cool Aid, Portland Hotel society, Island Health social work and Community health services. We have also been connecting with other palliative outreach teams across Canada (PEACH / CAMPP) to help facilitate the development and flow of PORT.

As a consultation rather than take-over model, our work to date has been around consulting with care teams on pain management strategies and different approaches to palliative care. We have done this through joint visits with Home Care to facilitate delivery of client centered palliative care and several other home and acute care based consults to communicate and facilitate the deliver client centered goals of care at EOL.

In the month that we’ve been starting to see people, we’ve supported 2 deaths, one in the community, and one in acute care where client determined he wanted MAiD. There are 8 other people who are on our radar in the community.

Sincerely,
Katie Leahy & Fraser Black
(PORT nurse and physician)