Who is the Pictou County
Health Authority(PCHA)
Ethics Committee?
The Ethics Committee is a
committee of the Health Authority
and is accountable to the Chief
Executive Officer.
The committee is made up of a
group of diverse community
representatives and health care
providers who strive to protect the
interests of all parties by
functioning as a resource to those
involved in patient care and
community-based health service
decision making.
The committee’s goal is to improve
patient care and client health
services by providing ethics
education and guidance to PCHA
staff, physicians, affiliates and
persons in our care (an individual,
family, group, population or
community that accesses the
services of PCHA).
How does the committee
achieve its goal?
The PCHA Ethics Committee brings
the mission, vision and values of
Pictou County Health Authority to life
by:
 Promoting an environment of
ethical reflection and decision
making by facilitating or
providing ethics education
related to health care issues
 Providing ethics leadership in
the form of education and
advice/recommendations on
organizational health care
issues
 Reviewing policies developed
within PCHA which have been
determined to have significant
ethical content
 Providing a means to ensure
research projects conducted
within PCHA have received
prior Research Ethics Board
(REB) approval from a properly
constituted REB
 Facilitating clinical ethics
consultation services
Why would you request an
Ethics Consultation?
When “the right thing to do” is
unclear or when people disagree
about what is best. For example:
 Disagreements between
persons in our care or their
families and health care
professionals about
treatment decisions
 Access to needed health
care resources for the aged,
chronically ill and mentally ill
 Withholding or withdrawing
life sustaining treatment in
the context of terminal or
serious illness, and provision
of pain medication for
terminally ill people
 Achieving informed consent
 Ethical issues related to
subject participation in
research
 Substitute decision-making,
when a person is incapable
of making a health care
decision (living wills)
The Ethics Committee is available
on request to help PCHA staff,
physicians, affiliates, persons in
our care and families explore
options for their difficult ethical
questions and dilemmas related to
health care.
Contact
 In person
Any member of Ethics Committee
(names listed on PCHA website
www.pcha.nshealth.ca), or
administrative support person to
Vice President of Community
Health
 Telephone or Fax
Call: 752-7600, ext. 3495
Fax: 752-6231
To develop a culture of ethical
decision making within Pictou County
Health Authority, all decisions should
be guided by the district Mission,
Vision and Values:
Vision
The Pictou County Health Authority
strives for excellence and innovation in
promoting a healthy community and
excellence in delivery of health
services.
Do you ever wonder,
“What is the right thing
to do?”
Mission
PCHA is a leader in developing and
delivering a population health focused,
evidence-informed and values driven
approach to wellness, healthcare,
safety and healthy communities.
Ethical Decision
Making
Values
 E-mail
ethicscommittee@pcha.nshealth.ca
 Internet
www.pcha.nshealth.ca
Download a consultation request
form and send it to the above fax
or e-mail address or to the
administrative support person for
the VP of Community Health.
 Caring
 Individually Centered
 Dignity and Respect
 Quality and Fairness
 Collaboration
 Innovation
 Fiscal Accountability
 Openness and Transparency
Ethics is about.....
What ought to be done
or not done; all things
considered.