Collaboration between Health PEI, Liminality Innovations, and the CAN Health Network is helping NICU infants transition home sooner
August 7, 2025 (Oakville, ON) – The CAN Health Network is proud to support a transformative collaboration between Health PEI and Calgary-based Liminality Innovations, helping preterm infants in Prince Edward Island (PEI) transition from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to home faster, while empowering families to take an active role in their baby’s care.
With preterm birth rates rising across Canada, NICUs are under increasing pressure, and families often face prolonged hospital stays filled with uncertainty and stress. Family-integrated care has emerged as a critical approach to improving neonatal outcomes by actively involving parents in their newborn’s care.
“The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Prince Edward Island admits approximately 300 infants, and their families, each year,” said Julie Fitzpatrick-Hopkin, QEH NICU Clinical Social Worker. “It is essential that we integrate families into the care process and ensure our providers have the right tools to deliver the highest quality of care.”
To support this shift, Health PEI partnered with Liminality Innovations to implement Merge™, a family-integrated model of care designed to train NICU staff and empower parents as active partners in their baby’s care journey.
Merge™ provides structured online modules that guide care staff in relational communication, parent support and parent education to further encourage parental participation in bedside rounds with the health care team, fostering confidence and connection between parents and their newborns.
“Having a child in the NICU can be an isolating experience, leaving parents feeling disconnected from their baby,” said Dr. Karen Benzies, CEO of Liminality Innovations. “Merge™ was created to change that. When parents are included in their child’s care, their stress levels decrease, their confidence grows, and research shows that babies can go home earlier—benefiting families and the health care system alike.”
Since implementing Merge, Health PEI has seen significant improvements in neonatal care outcomes:
- Reduced NICU stay lengths – By integrating parents into the care team, preterm infants are transitioning home sooner while ensuring they are fully prepared for discharge.
- Lower NICU readmission rates – Improved continuity of care and post-discharge support has resulted in a decline in hospital readmissions.
- Cost savings for the health care system – Enhanced care coordination is reducing overall system costs and allowing resources to be allocated more efficiently.
“By investing in homegrown solutions like Merge™, we are not only advancing patient care, we are giving entrepreneurs like Dr. Karen Benzies the opportunity to grow and build in Canada,” said Dr. Dante Morra, Founder and Chair, CAN Health Network.
“This partnership is another example of how the CAN Health Network is empowering the innovation and health care sectors to come together and use technology in a way that will benefit all Canadians,” said the Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions. “Liminality Innovations’ Merge™ platform deployed by Health PEI enables parents to be more involved in their preterm newborn’s care, ensuring a more efficient health care system.”
“Supporting initiatives like the Merge™ program not only promotes faster, healthier transitions from NICU to home but also empowers families to actively participate in their child’s care, fostering trust, connection, and hope for tomorrow,” said the Honourable Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health. “This investment in our health system helps strengthen the delivery of care in PEI and reinforces our commitment to improving health services across the country.”
The collaboration between Health PEI and Liminality Innovations began in early 2024 through a commercialization project supported by the CAN Health Network – a national initiative connecting health care providers with Canadian technology companies.
Building on this success, Health PEI is continuing its work with Liminality Innovations to develop a Peer Family Mentorship Program for parents, further supporting families as they navigate the transition from hospital to home.
ABOUT THE CAN HEALTH NETWORK
The CAN Health Network is a federally funded national organization working to introduce more Canadian innovation into Canada’s health system. The Network works with leading Canadian health care providers – referred to as Edges – to scale Canadian technology companies across Canada and beyond. By partnering Canadian companies directly with health care operators, CAN Health enables these companies and their solutions to be rapidly validated, procured and scaled across the Network.
ABOUT HEALTH PEI
Health PEI is responsible for the delivery of publicly funded health services in Prince Edward Island. The organization operates hospitals, health centres, public long-term care nursing facilities and community-based programs and services. Health PEI’s primary goals are to provide Islanders with safe, quality, person-centered care and services; provide access to appropriate care by the right provider in the right setting; and, optimize resources and processes to sustain a viable health care system.
ABOUT LIMINALITY INNOVATIONS
Liminality Innovations creates spaces that empower health and social providers to deliver exceptional care and support to all children, ensuring they grow up healthy. Our flagship product, Merge, is a clinical trial-validated evolution in family-centered neonatal care that improves outcomes for critically-ill newborns and their families. By leveraging technology and evidence-based practices, Merge reduces costs to the healthcare system while enhancing the quality of care. We are scaling Merge in neonatal units across Canada, ensuring more families have access to the support and resources they need during their journey in neonatal care.
