Minister Petitpas Taylor announces funding to help strengthen palliative care

Three organizations that focus on palliative care will receive more than $4.5 million in funding

May 10, 2019 – Moncton, NB – Health Canada

Canadians deserve to live out their lives in comfort and with dignity. They should also have access to care that is appropriate to their needs and that respects their wishes. For this reason, palliative care is a key priority in the Government of Canada’s ongoing efforts to improve our health care system.

Today, the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Health, announced funding of more than $4.5 million for three palliative care projects. These investments under the Health Care Policy Contribution Program will help strengthen palliative care in Canada by improving access to care at home and in the community for Canadians facing serious and life-threatening illnesses. The funding includes:

$1.9 million over three years to the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association to help Canadians prepare for their future health care needs, including through public education and awareness, community workshops, and a renewed strategy to promote advance care planning.
$2 million over three years to the Canadian Virtual Hospice to expand existing virtual services and resources for palliative care and grief support to meet the needs of underserved communities, including families caring for a dying child, Francophones, and LGBTQ2 communities.
$600,000 over two years to the Canadian Home Care Association to help improve delivery of palliative care at home and communication with patients, families, and caregivers.

These investments demonstrate the Government’s commitment to supporting improved access to palliative care for Canadians and complement $6 billion in targeted federal funding provided to provinces and territories to improve access to home and community care services, including palliative care, through multi-year funding agreements. The Government of Canada continues to collaborate with provinces and territories on strengthening health care, including improving access to home, community, and palliative care.

Quotes

“The Government of Canada understands the vital role that palliative and end-of-life care plays in our health care system. Many Canadians wish to remain independent and want to receive the care they need in their own home or community. This funding means better support for individual Canadians, their families, and caregivers at one of the most difficult times of their lives.”

The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor

Minister of Health

“The Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association is proud to receive this commitment from the Government of Canada to empower more Canadians to access Advance Care Planning. With this support we will be able to help more Canadians plan for their future health needs with Advance Care Planning.”

Sharon Baxter, Executive Director

Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association

“We applaud the Government of Canada for its commitment to palliative care, and for addressing national gaps in services. Canadian Virtual Hospice will translate this investment into even more bilingual, trusted, and free online services for all Canadians living with advanced illness, caregivers, and other family members and struggling with grief.”

Shelly Cory, Executive Director

Canadian Virtual Hospice

“This initiative has enabled the Canadian Home Care Association to reach out to health care providers and caregivers of individuals with a life-limiting illness, and identify leading practices that are addressing specific service gaps and improve the quality, efficiency, and accessibility of home-based palliative care. We believe this work will be a catalyst to making home care better for all Canadians.”

Nadine Henningsen, CEO

Canadian Home Care Association

Quick facts

On December 4, 2018, the Minister of Health tabled in Parliament the Framework on Palliative Care in Canada.
Over the coming months, Health Canada will collaborate with interested parties to develop a federal implementation plan that will define next steps and federal actions linked to this Framework. The implementation plan is expected to be launched by summer 2019.
Through Budget 2017, the federal government committed targeted funding of $6 billion over 10 years to provinces and territories to improve access to home care services, including palliative care. An additional $184.6 million over five years was allocated to improve home and palliative care for Indigenous communities.

Associated links

Contacts

Thierry Bélair

Office of Ginette Petitpas Taylor

Minister of Health

613-957-0200

Media Relations

Health Canada

613-957-2983

hc.media.sc@canada.ca

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