{"id":239183,"date":"2025-10-25T12:27:17","date_gmt":"2025-10-25T12:27:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/239183\/"},"modified":"2025-10-25T12:27:17","modified_gmt":"2025-10-25T12:27:17","slug":"new-clinic-set-to-revolutionize-respiratory-care-in-nova-scotia-dal-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/239183\/","title":{"rendered":"New clinic set to revolutionize respiratory care in Nova Scotia – Dal News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dalhousie plans to open a new community clinic in Halifax this fall designed to improve outcomes for Nova Scotians experiencing urgent respiratory health challenges.<\/p>\n

The lung-care facility, to be located at Fenwick Medical Centre, was made possible through a $300,000 investment from biopharma company GSK Canada and in collaboration with Nova Scotia Health\u2019s INSPIRED COPD Outreach Program, the Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub, and LungNSPEI.<\/p>\n

The groundbreaking initiative represents a pivotal step in alleviating the province\u2019s long-standing health system pressures, including long wait times for pulmonary testing and limited access to community-based, integrated chronic disease management.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cNova Scotia presents a significant opportunity for advancing respiratory care innovation,\u201d said Sridhar Venkatesh, president and general manager of GSK Canada. \u201cGSK is committed to uniting science, technology, and talent to get ahead of respiratory diseases, and we believe in supporting initiatives that have a meaningful impact on patients and communities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Venkatesh also emphasized the power of working together.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Nova Scotia Lung Wellness Clinic is a beacon of what can be achieved through collaboration, and we\u2019re proud to help shape a future where timely, proactive care can significantly improve the quality of life of people living with chronic lung conditions and reduce the burden on the healthcare system.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"\/
Left-right: Sridhar Venkatesh (President & General Manager, GSK Canada), Brenda Merritt (Dean, Dalhousie University, Faculty of Health), Honourable Michelle Thompson (Minister of Health and Wellness. Nova Scotia), Sanja Stanojevic (Associate Professor, Dalhousie University), Shawn White (Senior Manager, Government Affairs, GSK Canada), Catherine Gunn (Director, School of Health Sciences, Dalhousie University), Robert MacDonald (President & CEO, LungNSPEI) and Dr. Todd Howlett (Senior Medical Director Innovation, NS Health Innovation Hub).<\/p>\n

A game-changer for respiratory care in Nova Scotia<\/p>\n

The cutting-edge clinic, scheduled to begin accepting patients in fall 2025, will serve as a cornerstone for community-based respiratory care, offering a comprehensive range of services focused on early intervention, chronic disease management, and patient education.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Key offerings include:<\/p>\n

Spirometry testing and specialist interpretation to triage patients more efficiently and preserve hospital capacity for complex cases.\u00a0
\nSmoking cessation support, provided via QuitNS and education programming.\u00a0
\nVaccination services for influenza, pneumococcal, and COVID-19.\u00a0
\nInhaler technique coaching and chronic disease self-management education to empower patients to take control of their health.\u00a0
\nExercise and wellness navigation, as well as follow-up care for unattached patients.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The clinic will also provide important preventative care for patients with mild to moderate Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), asthma, and other chronic lung conditions. By improving patient outcomes, these patients will feel better, do better and their chance of presenting to an emergency department will be decreased, thereby alleviating strain on Nova Scotia\u2019s healthcare system.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This is a great example of industry, community, and the health-care system coming together to do things differently.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a great example of industry, community, and the health-care system coming together to do things differently to better support Nova Scotians,\u201d said Michelle Thompson, Nova Scotia\u2019s minister of health and wellness. \u201cThe Lung Wellness Clinic is an innovative approach that will offer Nova Scotians community-based respiratory care more quickly, support chronic disease management, and add capacity to train future health professionals.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Supporting future professionals<\/p>\n

In addition to serving patients, the clinic will play a vital role in training the next generation of respiratory care professionals, serving as a clinical placement site for Dalhousie\u2019s School of Health Science\u2019s expanded Respiratory Therapy (RT) program.<\/p>\n

Students will gain hands-on experience under the supervision of licensed RTs. This model addresses a critical workforce gap in respiratory care and contributes to the retention of skilled health professionals in Nova Scotia.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"\/
Preparing for spirometry testing demonstration.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis initiative is about more than just access \u2014 it\u2019s about building capacity,\u201d said Dr. Sanja Stanojevic, associate professor in Community Health and Epidemiology at Dalhousie\u2019s Faculty of Medicine. \u201cBy embedding students in community-based care, we\u2019re training future health-care professionals while directly improving patient outcomes. We\u2019re deeply grateful to GSK for their generous support, which is helping turn this vision into reality.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Addressing provincial challenges<\/p>\n

Long wait times for pulmonary testing remain a significant barrier to timely diagnosis and care in Nova Scotia.<\/p>\n

\u00a0The new community clinic will address this by offering community-based spirometry testing, delivered by respiratory therapists authorized through the INSPIRED program. This innovation will free up hospital-based Pulmonary Function Testing (PFT) labs for more complex cases while improving access for patients who do not require full diagnostic assessments.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Beyond diagnostics, the clinic embraces a holistic, team-based care model that connects patients to essential services, including chronic disease education, lung-cancer screening referrals, and community health programs.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This proactive approach aligns with Canada\u2019s evolving models of comprehensive primary care and chronic disease management, emphasizing upstream intervention and integrated care pathways.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Nova Scotia Lung Wellness Clinic is more than a clinic \u2014 it\u2019s a hub for innovation, education, and community health.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Nova Scotia Lung Wellness Clinic is more than a clinic \u2014 it\u2019s a hub for innovation, education, and community health,\u201d said Catherine Gunn, director the School of Health Sciences in Dal\u2019s Faculty of Health. \u201cWorking with our partners, we\u2019re building a healthier future for Nova Scotians.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

GSK Canada\u2019s Venkatesh says the clinic promises to serve as an example for other communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cGSK\u2019s support for this initiative underscores our commitment to respiratory health and improving access to care,\u201d said Venkatesh. \u201cWe\u2019re excited to see this clinic not only enhance patient outcomes but also serve as a replicable model for other communities across Canada. By working collaboratively and focusing on early intervention, we can transform respiratory care and help more people breathe easier.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dalhousie plans to open a new community clinic in Halifax this fall designed to improve outcomes for Nova…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":239184,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[49,48,84,112730,392,1058,44,994],"class_list":{"0":"post-239183","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-healthcare","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-health-professions","12":"tag-healthcare","13":"tag-medicine","14":"tag-news","15":"tag-research"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239183","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=239183"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/239183\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/239184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=239183"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=239183"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=239183"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}