Media Release: Hospice Halifax and Dartmouth General Hospital Foundation Host Community Conversation on Hospice and Palliative Care
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Hospice Halifax and Dartmouth General Hospital Foundation Host Community Conversation on Hospice and Palliative Care
Hospice Halifax and the Dartmouth General Hospital Foundation are partnering for a special event during National Hospice Palliative Care Week on Wednesday, May 6. A Community Conversation: Hospice & Palliative Care is a panel discussion designed to shine a light on hospice work, with thoughtfulness and warmth.
“We are a group of compassionate people who strive to provide the best end-of-life care for our patients,” says Dr. Brenna vanTol, Medical Director at Hospice Halifax. “At the same time, we strive to allow patients to live before they die, knowing we can’t change the outcome for patients who have terminal illnesses. We want to make sure they have dignity and comfort, and that their whole person is cared for.”
Dr. vanTol will be part of the community conversation in the bright and welcoming atrium of Dartmouth General Hospital on May 6th. Other panelists include Hospice Halifax Executive Director Jocelyn Hamilton, Dartmouth General Hospital Palliative Consult Nurse Patti MacDougall and Marilyn Penny, a former DGH nurse and Hospice Halifax patient family member.
“Thanks to generous support from the J&W Murphy Foundation we’ve had six palliative care beds at Dartmouth General since 2023,” says DGH Foundation President and CEO Stephen Harding. “We’ve seen what an incredible impact that has had for patients and families, and we recognize the need for more hospice beds in Dartmouth. We’re really looking forward to learning more through this insightful conversation.”
Serving approximately 125 patients and families a year at Hospice Halifax, Executive Director Jocelyn Hamilton says openness about end-of-life care eases some of the discomfort people may feel about the topic of death and dying. “Having conversations like this panel helps remove some of the unknowns around palliative and hospice care, and gives people the chance to learn and ask questions,” says Hamilton.
The panel discussion will be moderated by Dr. Mary Ellen MacDonald, Professor in Palliative Medicine at Dalhousie University, who holds the J&W Murphy Endowed Chair in Palliative Care.
A Community Conversation: Hospice & Palliative Care is open to the public. Coffee, tea and treats will be served beginning at 1pm in the atrium at Dartmouth General Hospital on May 6th.
For more information, please contact:
Matt Rainnie
Senior Manager, Communications and Marketing, DGH Foundation
(782) 200-9377
About Dartmouth General Hospital Foundation
Dartmouth General Hospital Foundation is dedicated to advancing innovation and exceptional care at the Dartmouth General Hospital by connecting with community supporters who believe in strengthening health care close to home. Since its inception, the Foundation has invested more than $60 million in equipment, facilities, and programs that directly benefit patients and families. The Above and Beyond campaign helped raise $13 million in community support for Dartmouth General’s expansion, leveraging a $137 million provincial investment, and the recently completed Lead On campaign raised $15.8 million to help fund DGH’s first-ever MRI, new Deanne Reeve Pelvic Health Suite, and a new Orthopedic Robot for the Fred Smithers Centre for Orthopedic Care at DGH.
Today, the Foundation is driving the next wave of innovation at Dartmouth General as they prepare to celebrate 50 years of exceptional care at DGH.
With the continued generosity of donors, the Dartmouth General Hospital Foundation ensures Dartmouth General remains a leader in innovation, access, and compassionate care for patients across the region.
About Hospice Halifax
Hospice Halifax was founded in 2001 to provide the best possible end-of-life care for patients and their families. As the first registered hospice residence charity in Nova Scotia, Hospice Halifax offers quality, compassionate end-of-life care and grief support services free of charge. Since opening its doors to patients in 2018, Hospice Halifax now annually welcomes approximately 125 terminally ill patients facing the end of life, including vulnerable seniors, people living with physical disabilities, and people who are precariously housed. Care extends to the community with regular one-on-one counseling, support groups, and programs for bereaved people looking for a safe, supportive environment to explore their feelings of loss.
