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(Updated 3:30 a.m., Jan. 15)
OutCare
Foundation raising funds for palliative care initiative
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online
Over
the past six years the OutCare Foundation has raised more
than $1.3 million for various palliative care initiatives
in Eastern Ontario. From nursing and caregiver respite
to in-home support, hospices and resource centres.
 Now
they have a new priority. Telelink is an OutCare Foundation
initiative designed to enable remote consultations between
palliative care professionals and local practitioners
and local practitioners and their patients.
Once
it's linked into the Ontario Telemedicine Network,Telelink
will improve the quality and standard of palliative care
across the region by linking 12 sites in Ottawa, Renfrew,
Cornwall and Hawkesbury.
The
project is supported by Dr. Jose Pereira, head of the
Division of Palliative Care at the University of Ottawa
and medical chief of the palliative care programs at Bruyère
Continuing Care and the Ottawa Hospital.
The
OutCare Foundation's role is to raise the $160,000 that
is needed to get the program off the ground. So far, they've
managed to raise nearly half of the amount or about $80,000.
Navan
businessman and community leader John Bradley is a VP
on the OutCare Foundation's board of directors. He strongly
believes that the Telelink project will benefit the entire
region and assist health care professionals in providing
palliative care to their clients.
"The
idea was to find a project that would benefit the entire
region and focus our energy on something that is really
needed," says Bradley. "We're a out halfway
there right now, and we're confident we can raise the
rest of the money by the end of the year."
Palliative
care is an area of healthcare that most people don't think
about until hey need it either for themselves or a loved
one.
Unlike
hospice care, palliative medicine, which aims to alleviate
a patient's symptoms, is appropriate for patients in all
disease stages, including those undergoing treatment for
curable illnesses and those living with chronic diseases,
as well as patients who are nearing the end of life.
You
can learn more about the Ottawa OutCare Foundation and
the work they do by visiting www.OutCarefoundation.org
you can also make a donation on line at OutCarefoundation.org/give/how-you-can-donate.
(This
story was made possible thanks to their generous support
of our local business partners.)
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