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Porter Hospital to Establish New "Partners in Palliative and Home Care" Practice

Tuesday September 1, 2009

   On September 1, Porter Hospital will establish a new medical practice in Middlebury, staffed by Dr. Diana Barnard, Dr. Will Porter and nurse practitioner Leslie Orelup, that will focus exclusively on providing palliative and home care services for patients in their homes or, if necessary, in the hospital, care home or nursing home.  

    According to Dr. Barnard, the new practice, “Partners in Palliative and Home Care”, represents an innovative and patient-centered approach that focuses on the special needs of homebound patients with serious and chronic illness and their families. “The work of the new Partners in Palliative and Home Care practice will emphasize quality of life and life-closure issues, managing disease processes so as to minimize suffering, and helping patients and their families adjust to the changes brought on by advanced illnesses.  It will promote comfort and support for patients and their families while dealing with the unique challenges of a life-limiting illness” she said.  “The overall goal is to allow the patient to live at home with as much space, dignity and personal control as possible.”

    In recognition of the needs of patients and families who confront serious or terminal illnesses, enhanced palliative care has been identified by Porter Hospital to be a key community need according to PMC President, James L. Daily.  “Our goal is to establish a new medical practice that will be staffed by providers who have a passion for this work and a goal of providing care that focuses on quality of life, control of pain and symptoms and attention to the psychosocial and spiritual experiences of adapting to advanced illness” he said.  

    Additionally, there is growing recognition among hospital and hospice leaders that patients and families are in need of  a more integrated continuum of care from their local delivery system, and that community healthcare providers have a responsibility to assure that such a continuum is available.  
“For the people of our community, expanded access to coordinated high-quality palliative and home care can help facilitate greater personal autonomy and control over their care and treatment choices and bring a degree of humanity and sensitivity to illness-related emotional, psychological and spiritual issues that otherwise might get lost in the delivery of traditional medical treatment” Dr. Porter added.

    Prior to the establishment of this new practice, Dr. Barnard has been a leader  in the Porter Hospital “Palliative Care Committee”, an interdisciplinary group of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dieticians the hospital chaplain and other important clinical and non clinical members from Porter Hospital, Helen Porter and other area agencies.  During the past 10 years, this committee, which is chaired by Dr. Barnard, has initiated a variety of projects and actively participated in bringing speakers to campus to discuss end of life issues.

    For more information about the new Partners in Palliative Care program, the practice can be reached at 388-7255.  The practice will have an administrative office on the Porter Hospital campus.

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