SE Health Receives National Award for Palliative Care Advocacy: Creating Accessibility and Care Improvements Across Canada
Award praises Nancy Lefebre for unwavering commitment to advancing patient and family access to end-of-life care across the country
TORONTO, Jan. 30, 2020 /CNW/ - For SE Health, care comes first at all stages of life. End-of-life care is no exception for the not-for-profit, social enterprise and one of Canada's largest health care providers. Last week, that dedication was highlighted as Nancy Lefebre, Chief Clinical Executive and Senior Vice President of Knowledge and Practice at SE Health received the Sharon Carstairs Award of Excellence in Advocacy from the Quality End-of-Life Care Coalition of Canada (QELCCC).
"The Award of Excellence in Advocacy recognizes an individual who has stepped forward to facilitate partnerships and change the health care system for the betterment of Canadians," said The Honourable Sharon Carstairs, P.C. "Nancy Lefebre is a strong voice speaking for the thousands of families caring for loved ones at end-of-life. Throughout her career, she has been instrumental in helping to strengthen the resources and support in our communities, nationwide. Congratulations, Nancy."
According to the Canadian Foundation for Health Improvement, "70 per cent of Canadians do not have access to palliative care services." There are also significant gaps in care and barriers to ensuring that all Canadians have access to quality end-of-life care, when they need it.
As an advocate for excellence and quality, Lefebre championed SE Health, Social Enterprise investments – more than $5 million over the last five years – into hospice palliative care programs and residential hospices nationwide.
Through the Saint Elizabeth Foundation, Lefebre advanced education for healthcare workers, developing an Indigenous end-of-life program that educated over 500 healthcare providers in 145 Indigenous communities throughout Canada last year. She also serves as the operating partner, alongside Hospice Toronto and Inner-City Health Associates, in Journey Home Hospice for the homeless in downtown Toronto.
With Lefebre's advocacy, SE Health has developed outstanding palliative care services; and in the last year alone, they have provided more than 10,000 patients across Canada with approximately 226,000 palliative homecare visits.
"I am so grateful for this tremendous honour and I credit the amazing teams for working tirelessly as advocates for all Canadians," said Lefebre. "At SE Health and the Saint Elizabeth Foundation, we pride ourselves on collaborating and pushing the envelope to create and uncover the highest level of care at every turn. We continue to forge ahead with palliative care as a priority and we look forward to making a big difference so that care is accessible for everyone."
About SE Health
SE Health is a not-for-profit social enterprise applying knowledge, vision and drive to impact how people live and age at home, today and into the future. With Canadian roots and 110+ years of expertise, the organization brings quality excellence and innovation to home care, seniors' lifestyle, and family caregiving. Through its team of 9,000 Leaders of Impact, SE Health delivers 21,000 care exchanges daily, totaling 50 million in the last decade alone. Visit us online at sehc.com.
About the Saint Elizabeth Foundation
When Saint Elizabeth was founded 110+ years ago, we were a group of visiting nurses caring for marginalized people in our communities. To honour our heritage, the Saint Elizabeth Foundation is committed to providing end-of-life care for those most in need throughout Canada, with a special focus on homeless, isolated, vulnerable and Indigenous individuals. We believe that health care communities are built through "in-reach," making health services accessible to individuals when and where they need them most. To find out more about how our programs and services are improving the lives of Canadians nationwide, please visit us online at sehc.com/foundation.
SOURCE SE Health
Sarah Quadri, Director, Corporate Communications, SE Health, M: (647) 612-7145, E: [email protected]
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