Conference Agenda

Target Audience: Palliative Care Clinicians, Social Care Providers, Researchers, Health Planners, Community Organizations serving people Homeless/Vulnerably Housing, and Volunteers

Learning Objectives:

In this workshop the participants will:

1. Learn about the genesis of, and drivers for, the development of a pan-Canadian collaborative on equity-oriented palliative care;
2. Identify barriers and develop solutions to integrate equity-oriented palliative, identifying the critical role that context assessment plays in successful implementation processes;
3. Consider lessons learned from a pan-Canadian implementation of equity-oriented palliative care, reflecting on challenges, successes, and the adaptations required to achieve equitable, safe, and high-quality care for (and with) structurally vulnerable populations;
4. Identify best practices for equity-oriented palliative care; and
5. Develop skills to become champions (or allies) in improving palliative care access and gaining access to practical tools and resources for local, national, and international implementation.

Workshop Structure

The “Improving Equity in Access to Palliative Care” (IEAPC) collaborative is a pan-Canadian initiative to improve access to palliative care for individuals experiencing homelessness or vulnerable housing. The collaborative examines equity-oriented approaches to care that address systemic and structural issues and identifies innovative practices in implementing equity-oriented palliative care for people experiencing structural vulnerabilities. The IEAPC collaborative is a four-year initiative that supports over 20 communities representing 85+ organizations across Canada to design, deliver and evaluate equity-oriented palliative care initiatives in their respective communities. Communities receive funding, access to subject matter experts, site visits to leading equity-oriented palliative care models in the country, peer-to-peer learning and collaboration, and a tailored curriculum that supports all aspects of implementation.

In this workshop we will present information about the IEAPC collaborative, sharing lessons learned, tools and resources developed, and evaluation strategies. Following didactic presentations from clinicians, researchers, educators, and health administrators, we will engage participants in interactive small group work to design equity-oriented strategies for implementation in their own communities.