As Minister of Health, I am pleased to acknowledge National Hospice Palliative Care Week, May 3rd to May 9th, 2015, coordinated by the Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association.
The theme this year is "The Power of 10: Let's talk about hospice palliative care." This theme addresses the need for Canadians to better understand palliative care and to start talking about it with 10 people, such as family, friends, and acquaintances.
There is growing evidence that access to hospice palliative care leads to an improvement in symptoms, better quality of life and higher satisfaction with care. It also leads to better outcomes for individuals facing life-threatening illnesses and their family caregivers.
Our Government is committed to engaging fellow Canadians about palliative care and helping them receive the compassionate, end-of-life support they need. We are already taking action, and will continue to work with provinces and territories and our partners to support efforts to improve healthcare services for all Canadians.
Since 2006, we have invested more than $43 million to support palliative care research. We provided $6 million to support initiatives to broaden the range of settings where palliative care can be delivered by a variety of providers. This is equipping healthcare providers with the knowledge they need to provide quality palliative care in hospitals, in long-term care facilities, and in homes.
In addition, our Government's Economic Action Plan 2015 proposes to provide $14 million over two years to the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement. One of the Foundation's priorities for the funding will be evaluating and disseminating data about best practices in palliative care services.
These activities, together with provincial, territorial and stakeholder initiatives, can lead to improvements in end-of-life care, and help meet the future care preferences of Canadians.
I encourage all Canadians to achieve the "Power of Ten" and also join me in recognizing and honouring the support given by family caregivers and healthcare providers.
The Honourable Rona Ambrose
Minister of Health
