12/29/2007 4:29:58 PM

Dean Ruhnke

December 18, 2007

ETOBICOKE-LAKESHORE’S NEW PALLATIVE CARE CENTRE RECEIVES SUPPORT FOR NEW MODEL OF CARE
Successful OTF Grant to Help the Dorothy Ley Hospice Enhance Care

ETOBICOKE – The Dorothy Ley Hospice has received a $75,000 grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to support development of a model of care that will integrate the Hospice’s community palliative care services with its new residential service that will begin next winter, announced Laurel Broten, MPP for Etobicoke-Lakeshore.

“The Dorothy Ley Hospice’s commitment to leadership and innovation has made an important mark in Etobicoke-Lakeshore for many years,” said Laurel Broten. “With new funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to develop an integrated model of care, our community looks forward to seeing this progress continue.”

The Dorothy Ley Hospice is a not-for-profit organization registered as a charity since 1989. Its mandate is to provide palliative care programs and services to people in Etobicoke who are living with a life threatening or terminal illness. The organization’s programs and services are designed to help clients remain in their homes for as long as possible and maximize their quality of life by managing their pain and providing supportive end-of-life care.

“Development of this model of care, one of the first in Ontario, will ensure enhanced care for people living with the challenges of a terminal illness in West Toronto,” said Hospice Executive Director Ron Lirette. “It will guide our clinical practices and ensure consistency in the quality of care as our clients transition from receiving services in their homes to receiving care in the residence.”

The McGuinty Government has provided more than $2.05 billion in home care and community services in 2006/07 across Ontario. These projects funded through Ontario’s $115 million End-of-Life Care Strategy, means over 6000 more Ontarians will receive compassionate, end-of-life care in their homes by 2007/08. Ontario’s End-of-Life Care Strategy will help shift care of persons in the last stages of their life from hospitals to home or another appropriate setting of their choice; will enhance an interdisciplinary team approach to care in the community; and will work towards better coordination and integration of local services.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation is an agency of the Government of Ontario. For 25 years, it has supported the growth and vitality of communities across the province. OTF continues to strengthen the capacity of the volunteer sector through investments in community-based initiatives. For more information, please visit