(L-R) Registered nurse Katie Leahy, and physician Dr. Fraser Black bike and drive around town to provide patients with medical and supportive care at any location.
Dr. Fraser Black, the Island Medical Program’s Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, is half of a new mobile palliative care team in Victoria, BC.
Dr. Black and Katie Leahy, a registered nurse, work with a new program called Palliative Outreach Resource Team (PORT). PORT provides medical and supportive care to people with serious, life-limiting illnesses who are homeless and living in poverty. It acts as a bridge between these individuals and their caregivers, palliative care, and other health and social support systems.
Dr. Black and Leahy bike and drive around town, bringing their medical kits and knowledge directly to patients. They will provide care wherever it is needed – be it in “on the street, in shelters, supportive housing, in a motel, a car, or a tent,” says Leahy.
Mirroring similar models in Toronto and Calgary, PORT allows people to self-refer or be referred by front line community workers. Along with providing care, Dr. Black and Leahy also help their patients’ chosen families and caregivers with cope with grief.
To learn more about PORT — a collaboration of the University of Victoria, Island Health, Victoria Cool Aid Society, and Victoria Hospice Society — please read the following coverage by the CBC, Vancouver Sun, and UVic News.