The Reveal of a New Palliative Care Suite
Pictured above: The new palliative care suite on the St. Joe's Clinical Teaching Unit West
On June 8th staff from St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton’s Clinical Teaching Unit West (CTUW) gathered together to celebrate the opening of a new Special Care Suite and bless the space. This is the second palliative care suite made possible by a donation to St. Joseph’s Healthcare Foundation. The space is designed to provide patients and their families with a serene and comforting space as they navigate their end-of-life journey.
Not only does the Special Care Suite provide a space where our healthcare professionals can provide compassionate care for our patients, but it has also created educational opportunities for our staff. With the creation of the space, several CTUW staff members have since been trained in palliative care techniques, ensuring they have the specialized training needed to help patients move through their end-of-life journey.
Often projects like the Special Care Suite are made possible through the generosity of our community, including donations from corporations, individuals, and private philanthropic foundations. Working with St. Joseph’s Healthcare Foundation, a St. Joseph’s medical resident, recognized the need for improved patient and education-based spaces. Acting as an advocate for our Hospital, the medical resident engaged their family’s private charitable foundation, to make a gift of $50,000 in support of facility renewal at our Hospital.
Through the private Foundation’s generosity, the Hospital’s Redevelopment Department was able to create this Special Care Suite as well as renovate a Resident On-Call Room, and make department improvements in the Endoscopy Department. Recognizing the critical importance of philanthropic gifts like this one, Kelly LoPresti, the Nurse Manager for CTU West remarks, “I would like to thank St. Joe’s Foundation and the family Foundation for the generous donation and everyone on the team who made this possible. It is a tremendous opportunity and blessing to have this available for patients and their families.”
The opening of the Special Care Suite is a true example of how the generosity of our donors help to form partnerships and opportunities for both the Hospital and the Foundation; ultimately, ensuring our healthcare professionals have access to the spaces, resources, and equipment they need to do what they do best: provide compassion care to our patients.
To learn more about how the Foundation supports patients and staff at our Hospital visit www.stjoesfoundation.ca.