Hospice Receives Provincial Award

November 2018

2018 recipient of the Ontario College of Family Physicians Family Practice of the Year Award

November 27, 2018

The Hospice of Windsor and Essex County has been named the Ontario College of Family Physicians’ family practice of the year for focused practice.

WINDSOR STAR, Nov. 13, 2018 – The Hospice of Windsor & Essex County has been named as a 2018 recipient of the Ontario College of Family Physicians Family Practice of the Year Award.

The award celebrates the accomplishments and hard work of the members of a family practice in Ontario who are focused on one or more specific clinical areas of family medicine. The Hospice of Windsor & Essex County will be presented with their award during the OCFP Awards Ceremony on November 14, 2018 in Toronto. A list of all awardees is posted on the OCFP website.

“The Hospice of Windsor & Essex County’s collaborative mindset to care delivery, along with their contributions in education, mentorship, and advocacy, make them an incredible resource for palliative care in their community,” said Dr. Glenn Brown, OCFP President. “I congratulate them for their leadership and exemplifying what it means to deliver high-quality, compassionate and patient-centred care.”

The Hospice of Windsor & Essex County began as a volunteer-based program in 1979, which has evolved into a multidisciplinary team providing palliative care, core training for family medicine residents and over 50 wellness programs. The Hospice team features 11 physicians, five nurse educators, in addition to social workers, spiritual care providers, administrative support and certified hospice volunteers who serve a population of 400,000 patients. In 2017, they provided direct and consultative care to almost 1,000 patients.

From offering a patient transportation service that provided more than 6,500 rides last year, to being one of the first accredited hospice programs in Canada, the Hospice’s Palliative Medicine Program has aimed to be a role model for palliative care services across the province. Strong supporters of patient and caregiver engagement, the Hospice is working to establish one of Canada’s first Patient and Family Advisory Councils for a hospice program. In 2017, the OCFP awarded the Hospice’s Dr. Darren Cargill an Award of Excellence for his work and advocacy on Dan’s Law – a bill designed to remove the three-month waiting period for access to OHIP-funded home and palliative care for those returning to Ontario.

“The Hospice of Windsor & Essex County’s Palliative Medicine program provides exemplary care and support to the Windsor-Essex community,” said Monica Staley Liang, Regional VP, Cancer, Renal, Patient Relations/Legal Affairs, Windsor Regional Hospital. “Their leadership in palliative care education and mentorship has created a team of physicians that are committed to providing the innovative and compassionate approaches to meeting the needs of this population.”

The Hospice of Windsor and Essex County

The Hospice of Windsor and Essex County is humbled and honoured to receive the Ontario College of Family Physicians’ Family Practice of the Year Award for Focused Practice.

Since 1979, the Hospice of Windsor had grown and evolved from a community-based volunteer service to a multidisciplinary team-oriented service for palliative and end-of-life patients in Essex County. Providing a holistic and compassionate approach, we offer wide-ranging clinical and non-clinical services to our patients, including palliative care physicians and nurses, social workers, spiritual care, wellness programs and compassionate volunteers supported by dedicated administrative staff.

“The Hospice of Windsor and Essex County’s Palliative Medicine program provides exemplary care and support to the Windsor-Essex community,” said Monica Staley Liang, Regional VP, Cancer, Renal, Patient Relations/Legal Affairs, Windsor Regional Hospital. “Their leadership in palliative care education and mentorship has created a team of physicians that are committed to providing the innovative and compassionate approaches to meeting the needs of this population.”