Dr. Diana Barnard and Buster Weller in the Middlebury Memorial Day Parade, 2010!

Doctors focus on providing home care

Dr. Will Porter, back right, and Dr. Diana Barnard, front right, have left family practices to focus exclusively on treating patients who are homebound or nearing the end of their lives. The new Porter Palliative Care office is also staffed by nurse practitioner Leslie Orelup, front left, volunteer Alice Berninghausen, back left, and office manager Suzanne Cartwright, back center. Independent photo/Trent Campbell

MIDDLEBURY — The newest addition to Middlebury’s health care community isn’t rolling out the latest technology or advanced batteries of tests. In fact, in the case of Partners in Palliative and Home Care — the practice launched by two Middlebury-area doctors this fall — a new approach to medicine looks remarkably old-fashioned. Read the complete article on The Addison Independent's Website


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                      FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Friday, August 7, 2009                                                RON HALLMAN, 388-4744

Porter Hospital to Establish new “Partners in Palliative and Home Care” Practice

On September 1, Porter Hospital will establish a new medical practice in Middlebury, staffed by Dr. Diana Barnard and Dr. Will Porter, that will focus exclusively on providing palliative care services for dying patients in their homes or, if necessary, in the hospital or nursing home. According to Dr. Barnard, the new practice, “Partners in Palliative and Home Care”, represents an innovative and patient-centered approach that focuses on the special needs of terminally ill patients and their families.

“The work of the new Partners in Palliative and Home Care practice will emphasize quality of life and life-closure issues, managing disease processes so as to minimize suffering, and helping patients and their families adjust to the changes brought on by advanced illnesses. It will promote comfort and support for patients and their families while dealing with the unique challenges of a life-threatening illness” she said. “The overall goal is to allow the patient to live with as much space, dignity and personal control as possible.”

In response to the recognition of the needs of patients who confront serious, life-threatening and terminal illnesses and their families, enhanced palliative care has been identified by Porter Hospital to be a key community need according to PMC President, James L. Daily. “Our goal is to establish a new medical practice that will be staffed by physicians who have a passion for this work and a goal of providing care that focuses on quality of life, control of pain and symptoms and attention to the psychosocial and spiritual experiences of adapting to advanced illness” he said.

Additionally, new pain management standards issued by JCAHO have also helped to raise awareness of the need for palliative care in the hospital setting. In addition, there is growing recognition among hospital and hospice leaders that patients and families are in need of a more integrated continuum of care from their local delivery system, and that community healthcare providers have a responsibility to assure that such a continuum is available.

“For the people of our community, expanded access to coordinated high-quality palliative care can help facilitate greater personal autonomy and control over their care and treatment choices and bring a degree of humanity and sensitivity to illness-related emotional, psychological and spiritual issues that otherwise might get lost in the delivery of traditional medical treatment” Barnard added.