Palliative care nurse offers hospice care inside Collingwood hospital

Hospice Georgian Triangle Alanna Roylance PCRN (centre) and Trish Rawn, CEO pictured with MPG Representatives.

Hospice Georgian Triangle is honoured to have been awarded the 2026 Mount Pleasant Group Hospice Innovation Award for its newly established Palliative Care Resource Nurse (PCRN) role.

The nurse bridges the gap in care by placing hospice expertise directly into Collingwood General and Marine Hospital (CGMH).

Working within the hospital, the Palliative Care Resource Nurse (PRCN) Alanna Roylance supports the clinical team by guiding families along their care journey.

The role assists in care and symptom conversations, ensures patients understand care options, answers questions, and connects families to community resources and hospice care when appropriate.

“The PCRN role has been a perfect fit for who I am as a nurse and now being recognized on a provincial level for the impact that the PCRN role has had is a huge honour,” said Roylance, PCRN Hospice Georgian Triangle.

“Being able to sit with people and ask them what is most important to them, helping them process their feelings about their illness, reminding them that they have a choice in what their journey looks like - it is so rewarding to empower people, and to bring comfort to those that are suffering.”

In its first year, the program supported 461 referrals, including 233 direct hospice referrals, 126 transfers to Campbell House for end-of-life care and more than 100 emergency department consultations. The role also redirected 40 cases from hospital admission by connecting them with alternative care settings.

“When one nurse could sit with a patient, understand what mattered most to them, connect the family to support and help the hospital team plan the next right step, we could see the difference immediately.” said Trish Rawn, Hospice Georgian Triangle CEO.

Additionally, the palliative care nurse provided mentorship and education to 100 healthcare providers, further increasing palliative care capacity.

The recognition from Mount Pleasant Group emphasizes the promise of the model. It signals a meaningful shift in how palliative care is understood, not as support reserved only for the final days of life, but as an approach that can enhance quality of life much earlier in a person’s illness.

In honour of the valuable care provided through the PCRN, the hospice has been awarded a $10,000 gift of recognition alongside the award from Mount Pleasant Group.