Canadian Partnership Against Cancer Applauds Federal Government Funding Commitment to Palliative Care

OTTAWA, June 12, 2012 /CNW/ - Health Canada's announcement today, to provide three million dollars over three years in support of palliative care, is welcomed by the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. The funding will support The Way Forward: Moving Towards Community-Integrated Hospice Palliative Care in Canada, an initiative of the Quality End-of-life Care Coalition of Canada, managed by the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association. The Partnership is a member of the Initiative's advisory committee, and will work with members of the Coalition to advance the integration of hospice palliative care in Canada.

"With an aging population and increasing levels of chronic disease, access to hospice palliative care services is crucial," says Lee Fairclough, Vice President, Strategy, Knowledge Management and Delivery at the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer. "Hospice palliative care crosses the boundaries of all life-threatening illness, health care professions and communities, so we're pleased to be working with organizations in the cancer community and beyond to help create an integrated hospice palliative care system that benefits all Canadians."

The new federal funding announced today lends strength to the Quality End-of-Life Care Coalition's important work, contributing to the improvement of palliative care in Canada. The Way Forward Integration Initiative will engage all settings, sectors, professionals and governments in a dialogue regarding the implementation of community-integrated palliative and end-of-life care.

"One in four Canadians¹ will die from a cancer," says Fairclough. "That is why our strategic plan to advance the national cancer strategy includes a priority focus on advancing hospice palliative care, and the Coalition's Blueprint for Action: 2010-2020 [on palliative care] is reflected in that plan as the basis for our approach to this work."

The Blueprint for Action: 2010-2020 report, developed by the Quality End-of-Life Care Coalition, is a working document that sets out areas for action for end-of-life care in Canada. The Quality End-of-Life Care Coalition is made up of 37 national organizations concerned about quality end-of-life care for all Canadians.

The Partnership is currently identifying the areas for its focus in palliative and end-of-life care over the next five years based on consultations with palliative and end-of-life care experts, health system leaders and policy makers. The approach is to enable an initiative that ties into jurisdictional priorities and leverages existing successes.

About the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer

The Canadian Partnership Against Cancer is an organization funded by the federal government to accelerate action on cancer control for all Canadians. Bringing together cancer experts, government representatives, patient and survivor groups, including the Canadian Cancer Society and the Canadian Cancer Action Network to implement the first pan-Canadian cancer control strategy, the vision is to be a driving force to achieve a focused approach that will help prevent cancer, enhance the quality of life of those affected by cancer, lessen the likelihood of dying from cancer, and increase the efficiency of cancer control in Canada. For more information, visit partnershipagainstcancer.ca. The Partnership is also the driving force behind cancerview.ca, an online community linking Canadians to cancer information, services and resources.

¹Canadian Cancer Society's Steering Committee on Cancer Statistics. Canadian Cancer Statistics 2011. Toronto, ON: Canadian Cancer Society; 2011.

Kirsten Jordan
Canadian Partnership Against Cancer
416-915-9222 ext 5790
[email protected]

Robyn Osgood
Blueprint Public Relations
613-863-2049
[email protected]