With a new partnership in place with the Cayman Islands Health Services Authority (HSA) and Cayman HospiceCare (CHC), palliative care services are now offered in the Sister Islands.
Cayman HospiceCare is a community service that provides quality comfort care to anyone who has cancer or any other end-stage terminal illnesses at no charge to patients or their families. The Palliative Nurse Specialists aim to reduce pain, manage symptoms and attend to the social, psychological and emotional needs of both patients and families. CHC is committed to enhancing the quality of patient’s lives while enhancing and improving the lives of those affected by death, including providing long-term support for survivors after their loss.
“As a small organization, specialized palliative and hospice nursing was initially focused on Grand Cayman. Now, as a result of a recent partnership between the Health Services Authority and Cayman HospiceCare, our services will be expanded to the Sister Islands though a team of HSA nurses who have been trained in palliative care by Cayman HospiceCare”, said Cayman HospiceCare Medical Director, Dr Ginny Hobday.
In addition to providing training, Cayman HospiceCare Clinical Manager Felicia McLean has travelled to Cayman Brac on a number of occasions in the recent months to support the Faith Hospital team as they cared for four terminally ill patients and will continue to do so as needed.
“We were extremely grateful to Cayman Airways, who have sponsored the CHC team to travel back and forth. We look forward to working with the staff of the Faith Hospital and the HSA to make palliative and end of life care available on the Sister Islands”, Dr Hobday said.
Dr. Srirangan Velusamy, Director of Sister Islands Health Services, added that their team very much appreciated the training and support given by Cayman HospiceCare to their team of doctors and nurses.
“In the past, several of our patients who needed hospice care were cared for in the hospital setting, however through this new partnership we can now support the patients and their families in their homes,” he said.
Health Services Authority CEO, Lizzette Yearwoodsaid she is extremely grateful to Dr Hobday, Mrs Felicia McLean and the entire Cayman HospiceCare Team for their support to the Faith Hospital Staff who are very passionate about enhancing the quality of patients’ lives while ensuring they are pain free.
“This extended service will be very beneficial to the people of the Sister Islands and we look forward to our continued partnership with Cayman HospiceCare,”she added.
Since 1998, when Cayman HospiceCare was incorporated as a non-profit organization, the vision has been to provide extraordinary end of life care to any person living in the Cayman Islands.
For more information about services offered at the Cayman Islands Health Services Authority, please visit www.hsa.ky. Find out more about Cayman HospiceCare at www.caymanhospicecare.ky.
Radio Cayman– December 9, 2014
Loopcayman- December 9, 2014
Cayman27– December 11, 2014
Cayman Reporter– December 12, 2014
