GSK's $300,000 Investment Fuels Launch of Innovative Lung Wellness Clinic to Transform Respiratory Care in Nova Scotia Français
MISSISSAUGA, ON, Oct. 21, 2025 /CNW/ - Dalhousie University, in collaboration with Nova Scotia Health's INSPIRED COPD Outreach Program, the Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub and the LungNSPEI, is proud to announce the upcoming launch of the Nova Scotia Lung Wellness Clinic, a groundbreaking initiative designed to address urgent respiratory health challenges and improve outcomes for Nova Scotians.
Made possible through a $300,000 investment from GSK Canada, this cutting-edge clinic will open its doors this fall at the Fenwick Medical Centre in Halifax. It represents a pivotal step in alleviating the province's long-standing health system pressures, including long wait times for pulmonary testing and limited access to community-based, integrated chronic disease management.
"Nova Scotia presents a significant opportunity for advancing respiratory care innovation," said Sridhar Venkatesh, President & General Manager of GSK Canada. "GSK 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. The Nova Scotia Lung Wellness Clinic is a beacon of what can be achieved through collaboration, and we're 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."
A Game-Changer for Respiratory Care in Nova Scotia
The Nova Scotia Lung Wellness Clinic 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. Key offerings include:
- Spirometry testing and specialist interpretation to triage patients more efficiently and preserve hospital capacity for complex cases.
- Smoking cessation support, provided via QuitNS and education programming.
- Vaccination services for influenza, pneumococcal, and COVID-19.
- Inhaler technique coaching and chronic disease self-management education to empower patients to take control of their health.
- Exercise and wellness navigation, as well as follow-up care for unattached patients.
This novel clinic will 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's healthcare system.
"This is a great example of industry, community and the healthcare system coming together to do things differently to better support Nova Scotians," said Nova Scotia Health and Wellness Minister Michelle Thompson. "The 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."
Supporting Workforce Development in Respiratory Care
In addition to serving patients, the clinic will play a vital role in training the next generation of respiratory care professionals. As a clinical placement site for Dalhousie University School of Health Science's expanded Respiratory Therapy (RT) program, 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.
"This initiative is about more than just access--it's about building capacity," said Dr. Sanja Stanojevic, Associate Professor in Community Health and Epidemiology at Dalhousie University's Faculty of Medicine. "By embedding students in community-based care, we're training future healthcare professionals while directly improving patient outcomes. We're deeply grateful to GSK for their generous support, which is helping turn this vision into reality."
Addressing Nova Scotia's Health System Challenges
Long wait times for pulmonary testing remain a significant barrier to timely diagnosis and care in Nova Scotia. The Lung Wellness 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.
"At Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub, our role is to bring together patients, clinicians, researchers, and industry partners to test and scale new ideas that improve care," said Doris Grant, Managing Director of the Health Innovation Hub. "The Lung Wellness Clinic is a powerful example of how collaboration and innovation can address health system challenges while creating better outcomes for Nova Scotians."
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. This proactive approach aligns with Canada's evolving models of comprehensive primary care and chronic disease management, emphasizing upstream intervention and integrated care pathways.
"The Nova Scotia Lung Wellness Clinic is more than a clinic--it's a hub for innovation, education, and community health," said Catherine Gunn, Director School of Health Sciences within Dalhousie University's Faculty of Health. "Working with our partners, we're building a healthier future for Nova Scotians."
"GSK's support for this initiative underscores our commitment to respiratory health and improving access to care," said Sridhar Venkatesh, President & General Manager, GSK Canada. "We're 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."
The Nova Scotia Lung Wellness Clinic is scheduled to begin accepting patients in Fall 2025.
About GSK in Respiratory
GSK is a global biopharma company with a purpose to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together. GSK continues to build on decades of pioneering work to deliver more ambitious treatment goals, develop the next generation standard of care, and redefine the future of respiratory medicine for hundreds of millions of people with respiratory diseases. With an industry-leading respiratory portfolio and pipeline of vaccines, targeted biologics and inhaled medicines, we are focused on improving outcomes and the lives of people living with all types of asthma and COPD along with less understood refractory chronic cough or rarer conditions like systemic sclerosis with interstitial lung disease. GSK is harnessing the latest science and technology with the aim of modifying the underlying disease dysfunction and preventing progression.
Find out more at www.gsk.ca.
About Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University is a leading Canadian research university where students learn by doing and ideas meet real-world impact. With an exceptional student experience and research strengths aligned with global challenges, Dalhousie is where infinite ambition meets global impact.
About Nova Scotia Health and the Health Innovation Hub
Nova Scotia Health is the largest provider of health services in Nova Scotia. The over 24,000 person workforce provides healthcare and support services in hospitals, health centres, and community-based programs across the province.
As the front door for innovation and partnerships at Nova Scotia Health, the Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub connects clinicians, researchers, patients, industry leaders, healthcare foundations, government, and academia to strategically advance new ideas that improve health outcomes for all Nova Scotians.
About LungNSPEI
LungNSPEI is a charitable health organization dedicated to improving quality of life by preventing and managing lung disease through advocacy, patient services, education & research.
Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking statements
GSK cautions investors that any forward-looking statements or projections made by GSK, including those made in this announcement, are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Such factors include, but are not limited to, those described in the "Risk Factors" section in GSK's Annual Report on Form 20-F for 2024, and GSK's Q2 Results for 2025.
SOURCE GlaxoSmithKline Inc.
Media Contacts : GSK Canada: 1 855 593 6274
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