Helping you breathe
Choosing services with William Osler ProResp provides you with the comfort of knowing that when you leave the hospital, you can bring the highest quality care home with you.
Integrated care, from hospital to home
The William Osler ProResp partnership is a joint venture between William Osler Health System and ProResp, Ontario’s largest community respiratory therapy provider.
This partnership ensures that before you leave the hospital your home care respiratory therapists are working in collaboration with your hospital’s team to get you home and help keep you there.
Nancy’s Story
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Nancy’s doctor warned her that she was losing lung function and would end up with COPD, but the cigarettes had such a power over her that she decided to keep on smoking. “I thought that would never happen to me. That only happens to other people,” Nancy told us.
In 2021, 50 years of smoking finally caught up with Nancy. She was dizzy, confused, and her oxygen levels were so low that her lips and fingertips were starting to turn blue. Nancy knew she had smoked her last cigarette. She was admitted to the William Osler Health System for a few days and started on oxygen therapy. Thanks to a joint venture between William Osler and ProResp, Nancy was introduced to ProResp in the hospital, where our team became familiar with her needs, and when she was sent home, ProResp was there within the hour to get her set up on home oxygen.
“They set me up with a 50 foot hose so I could move all around the house, and from the very start they have been fantastic. The delivery people and everyone in the office is so accommodating,” said Nancy.
It was later that spring that Nancy’s respirologist started talking to ger about getting on the transplant list. That was the start of a two year journey that involved physical therapy, a barrage of tests and a lot of nervous waiting by the phone.
“Once you are approved, they tell you it is a 5 to 8 month waiting list. But they can call at any moment and you only have one hour to be ready before they move down the list. That was the beginning of sleeping with a phone under my pillow,” said Nancy.
On the night of Friday, October 20, 2023, Nancy and her husband were at home watching TV. Nancy got a call from an unknown number and picked up. It was the hospital. They had found a suitable pair of lungs for Nancy. It was go-time.
The next 6 weeks were a roller coaster. When Nancy woke up from the surgery she had severe delirium. Later, she got a lung infection. In rehab, she was locked down by a covid outbreak. Finally, on December 5, she was allowed to go home.
Nancy’s lung function is now 90-95%. Her new lungs are working exactly as intended. It means she no longer requires ProResp’s services.
“I will miss everyone at ProResp. They have all been so supportive and I will always be so grateful — to ProResp, to my surgeons. But I am entering a whole new world now. And I am so excited.”
Nancy had one final message she wanted to share. “Smoking is terrible. It will take so much from you. If you smoke, stop right now. You will thank yourself later. And if you don’t smoke, don’t ever touch a cigarette.”
We will miss you, Nancy, and we are so happy that you are able to breathe again on your own. We wish you all the very best!
Why a partnership?
The support you get at home is as important as the care you receive in your community hospital. That is why the William Osler ProResp partnership constantly measures the care we deliver and reports patient satisfaction to William Osler Health System leadership and ProResp. With the joint oversight of William Osler Health System and ProResp, you can be confident you are getting the best care, getting you back to doing what you love.
What are the benefits?
Patients who choose William Osler ProResp tend to spend less time in hospital, because their care team can be confident they will get the support they need at home. Research shows those with COPD are less likely to be readmitted to hospital within 30 days, because their needs are being met at home by a team that works closely with your community hospital. William Osler ProResp is an innovative service provider that gives patients access to all current technology and equipment in delivering respiratory therapy.
How does it work?
William Osler ProResp is a partnership between the William Osler Health System and ProResp, an Ontario-owned provider of community respiratory therapy.
The partnership strengthens health care in your local community using a patient-first approach.
This integrated care model allows William Osler Health System’s frontline caregivers and management to work directly with ProResp’s frontline caregivers and management to ensure you get the best care possible.
Our teams regularly measure patient satisfaction and performance and report this information back to senior management of the hospital and ProResp.
Patient and family choice is paramount in selecting the community respiratory therapy provider you want to be served by. Patient surveys and feedback consistently show those who choose the William Osler ProResp partnership are glad they did.
Have a question or want to learn more about a ProResp partnership? Click to fill out the form and we will get back to you.