Supportive Care Program

North York General Hospital’s Supportive Care Program is an added layer of support for you, your family and your healthcare team that focuses on managing symptoms associated with your advanced non-cancer chronic illness and improving your quality of life. Our patients are those living with advanced chronic illnesses such as heart diseases (such as congestive heart failure), lung diseases (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), and neurodegenerative diseases (such as dementia or Parkinson’s). We have expert knowledge in treating symptoms common to your medical illness including pain, shortness of breath, swelling, fatigue, anxiety and depression.

Our team provides care for patients in hospital, in clinic, and at home.

Our Goals

  • Help you and your family better manage symptoms related to your advanced illness
  • Help you make choices about your care
  • Connect you and your family with community care services to support you at home
2 healthcare workers walking with an elderly patient

The team has been phenomenal assisting with navigating the system to get the right supports in the home, have acted as an advocate with the LHIN when needed, and have collaborated very well with the LHIN nurse practitioner and the cardiologist to ensure a holistic look at how we handle my dad’s care. The soft skill side of it, the bedside manner, is as much a part of the amazing care. It builds the confidence of the patient and allows the patient to trust.

— Brenda Albuquerque-Boutilier, daughter of a Supportive Care Clinic patient

Supportive Care Services:

Inpatient:

We provide palliative and supportive care to inpatients across the hospital.

  • Where appropriate, a palliative and supportive care physician is responsible for coordination of care
  • Short-term acute pain and symptom management beds if needed based on conversation between patient, family and healthcare team
    • For some patients with palliative and supportive care needs, a longer-term stay in a hospital-like setting will become necessary, and a Palliative Care Unit is best-equipped to provide this type of care. While we do not have a PCU at NYGH, if this type of care becomes necessary, we will work with the patient and family to find a suitable PCU bed in the city. Patients will remain at NYGH until a suitable PCU bed becomes available.
Graphic of hospital

Ambulatory Clinic: Supportive Care Clinic

In-person and virtual clinic appointments are provided by a nurse practitioner or physician to help you manage your pain and symptoms

  • Comprehensive consultation and follow-up care
  • Interdisciplinary team offers added layer of support
  • Connecting patients and families to community resources
Graphic of clock and pill

In-Home: The Edwin S.H. Leong Geriatric Supportive Care Outreach Program

Our program enables adults living with advanced, non-cancer life-limiting illness, whose wish is to stay at home for as long as possible or to die at home to receive in-home care from an outreach physician with the support of a nurse practitioner and other community supports as needed. We provide:

Graphic of outstretched hands offering help for person
  • Seamless care, 24 hours a day and 7 days a week
  • Service within the following catchment area: south of Steeles Ave., north of Lawrence Ave., west of Victoria Park Ave., and east of Bathurst St. If you live outside of the catchment area, please speak with your family doctor or home care coordinator for local palliative and supportive care.
A map with a box around the following area: south of Steeles Avenue but North of Lawrence Avenue, and West of Victoria Park Avenue but east of Bathurst St.