Lifetime Member: The Near North Palliative Care Network
By Monica Do Coutto Monni
Executive Director, Near North Palliative Care Network
The Near North Palliative Care Network is a registered charity in Northeastern Ontario, Canada, serving the area for 34 years, since 1987. As the designated volunteer visiting hospice of Nipissing/Parry Sound Districts, the organization provides one-stop, face-to-face, and online services, such as: a visiting hospice that provides palliative care, caregiver’s respite and support, bereavement and grief support sessions (individual and group), and training and education for all aspects of ageing and end of life. Services are free of charge.
NNPCN main office is in North Bay, with satellite teams in three regions: Sturgeon Falls (West Nipissing region), Mattawa Region, and Sundridge (Almaguin region). NNPCN is accredited by Hospice Palliative Care Ontario. Last year, during the pandemic, about 100 volunteers served 4,483 people. NNPCN is the organizer of the local Winter Conference for Palliative Care Interdisciplinary Education of frontline health care professionals.
Our mission: enhance patients’ QoL,
community bereavement support
NNPCN’s mission is to enhance the comfort, dignity, and quality of life of individuals with a terminal illness, and to offer bereavement support throughout the community. Its vision is that every resident of Northeastern Ontario can experience their end-of-life with dignity and comfort, pain-free, and with physical, psychological, social, and spiritual support provided to them wherever they may be living: in hospital, hospices, long-term care facilities, or at home. NNPCN supports a decentralized model of palliative caregiving, going to where the client is.
Our core values and principles
NNPCN core values are: human dignity, compassion, social responsibility, community service, and excellence. The organization values quality of care, work-life balance, and ongoing education and training. Our operating principles are: serving individuals with a life-limiting illness, putting family and caregivers are at the centre of care, and offering compassionate listening. Companioning, nonjudgmental support, confidentiality, and professionalism are part of the package.
Near North Palliative Care Network joined the IAHPC as a member for life because of the admirable contribution of the IAHPC to the international forum of hospice palliative care.
By joining IAHPC, stronger advocacy is possible
Among its many other outstanding contributions, the IAHPC is one of the strongest and most vibrant palliative care advocacy voices in the global community. The NNPCN team believes that, by joining forces with the IAHPC, and under the extraordinary leadership of Liliana de Lima and Katherine Pettus, it will be possible to bring a stronger advocacy voice to the needs the vulnerable people in Canada, especially those living in communities with the most need, such as the subarctic regions in Ontario and elsewhere.
By doing so, NNPCN also hopes to leave its small contribution to the advancement of the cause of hospice palliative care worldwide, toward better and more services, free of charge, made available to all vulnerable communities.
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How your gift supports the IAHPC mission
Achieved: $24,941
Goal: $30,000
83%
Education
Your gift funds the operational costs of our online courses taught by globally recognized experts who volunteer their time and provide educational resources relevant to palliative care topics. It also supports scholarships that enable palliative care workers to attend educational events and congresses, and allows us to maintain Pallipedia, the free, live, online dictionary.
The goal of this pillar is to implement strategies, resources and tools that will improve the competencies of the global workforce for appropriate palliative care delivery. We have two programs under this pillar plus many other resources for our members.
Your gift enables us to build and strengthen the partnerships that accelerate global, regional, and national advocacy for palliative care. We advocate for its integration into primary health care under universal health coverage and effective access to essential palliative care medicines and packages for people of all ages. Your gift supports our work to prepare delegates and participate in technical consultation meetings of the relevant UN organizations.
The goal this pillar is the integration of palliative care into primary health care within the spectrum of universal coverage to improve access to adequate care for patients in need. We offer the following to our members:
Documents on Human Rights and Access to Medicines and Care
Research
Your gift enables us to continue doing research that provides guidance and recommendations for action, based on responses from the global palliative care community. Such research includes our recent evaluation of the impact of euthanasia and assisted dying practices on palliative care workers and the use of essential medicines for palliative care. It also supports the costs of publications focused on research relevant to palliative care.
The goal of this pillar is to design and implement projects that lead to the integration of palliative care into health policies, resolutions, and key documents. Our studies help us provide guidance and recommendations, and take action based on the responses from the global palliative care community.
Your membership enables you to participate in IAHPC projects such as the:
Your gift enables us to continue our in-depth reporting and book reviews in Pallinews, as well as media campaigns that raise awareness about the need to increase access to care and support for patients and families.
We are a small organization that allocates over 80% of our budget to mission driven programs and to the maintenance of our free website. We need operational funding to continue the work.
Give a gift, get a gift
IAHPC members: When you gift a 2-year membership to a colleague in a low- or middle-income country, we extend your membership by 6 months.
