Healthcare Excellence Canada (HEC) and the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (the Partnership) today announced 13 additional communities invited to join the Improving Equity in Access to Palliative Care collaborative.
These teams will join the 10 communities that have been participating in and shaping the collaborative since 2022.
Between 2022 and 2026, HEC and the Partnership are providing funding and support to these communities to implement leading and innovative practices to help people experiencing homelessness or vulnerable housing to access palliative care when and where they need it most.
“Palliative care is a critical part of Canada’s health care system, improving the quality of life of many people with serious illness for as long as possible” said the Honourable Mark Holland, Minister of Health. “I am delighted to see new communities joining this important initiative by Healthcare Excellence Canada and the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. This initiative supports progress toward the objectives of the Framework on Palliative Care in Canada and the federal Action Plan on Palliative Care, which highlight the importance of improving access to palliative care for underserved populations.”
People experiencing homelessness or vulnerable housing have unequal access to safe, high-quality healthcare. They often experience worse health outcomes compared to the general population, with substantially greater risk of disease, illness and death. While many current models of palliative care don’t consider the unique challenges faced by this population, innovative models are helping to improve equity in access to care.
“HEC is excited to partner with 13 new communities through the Improving Equity in Access to Palliative Care collaborative, where they will join and contribute to the meaningful equity-oriented work underway,” said Jennifer Zelmer, President and CEO of HEC. “Since 2022, 10 communities have worked hard to help more people get the safe, high-quality care they deserve, and the expansion of the collaborative will extend this work’s reach.”
The communities participating in Improving Equity in Access to Palliative Care span eight provinces and bring diverse perspectives to the collaborative.
“We congratulate the 13 new communities who will be contributing their time, expertise, and lived experience to the Improving Equity in Access to Palliative Care collaborative,” said Dr. Craig Earle, CEO of the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. “Understanding and prioritizing how safe, high-quality care can be delivered for people experiencing homelessness or vulnerable housing is a core aspect of health equity. We are excited to see how these new teams, along with the first 10 communities, will contribute to the important work of developing equitable, community-based and innovative ways of providing care.”
Participating communities will have the opportunity to:
- Receive funding of up to $100,000.
- Participate in learning and networking opportunities with peers and experts.
- Build capabilities to co-design, implement, measure and evaluate palliative care solutions and approaches.
- Create and support meaningful partnerships with people with lived and living experience of homelessness or vulnerable housing, and First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities.
- Guide and inform the development of resources to support strategic partnerships and improve equity in access to palliative approaches to care.
Improving Equity in Access to Palliative Care is part of HEC’s work to spread innovations that bring care into community and the Partnership’s work to support innovative models of care that improve access to palliative care.
Learn more about the program.
About Healthcare Excellence Canada
Healthcare Excellence Canada works with partners to spread innovation, build capability, and catalyze policy change so that everyone in Canada has safe and high-quality healthcare. Through collaboration with patients, caregivers and people working in healthcare, we turn proven innovations into lasting improvements in all dimensions of healthcare excellence. Launched in 2021, HEC brings together the Canadian Patient Safety Institute and Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement. HEC is an independent, not-for-profit charity funded primarily by Health Canada. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of Health Canada.
About the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer
As steward of the Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control (the Strategy), the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (the Partnership) receives ongoing funding from Health Canada to work with provincial and territorial ministries of health and their cancer programs, health system leaders and clinicians, and people affected by cancer across Canada to implement the Strategy to improve cancer outcomes for all people in Canada. Learn more at www.partnershipagainstcancer.ca.
