IAHPC News Briefs

108 National Associations Receive 1-Year Free Membership

Offering a free, one-year membership to all national palliative care associations more than doubled IAHPC's roster: 56 associations joined 52 national members. IAHPC also increased from three to five the representatives from each association with full access to all member benefits, and from five to 10 the representatives for each lifetime member. Why we are doing this.

If your national association has not yet signed up, contact Debra Pledger-Fonte. Debra urges both new and previously existing members to "Look at, see, and explore our membership section!" IAHPC encourages national associations to notify Julia Libreros about their conferences, courses, meetings, and other events (at least a week in advance!) so that they can be added to the Calendar of Events. 

The free one-year membership offer for national palliative care associations is on until December 31, 2025: your free year begins on the date your access is approved. The initiative is part of IAHPC's long-term transition, enacted in 2025, toward a focus on national associations and their importance as advocates for improved access to palliative care.

Stella Rithara at IAPCON: Attending in person makes a difference

IAHPC maximizes its limited resources by encouraging advocates—board members, Focal Points, and others—to attend events on behalf of our organization and, if an IAHPC booth is on site, be on hand to speak to passersby. Board Member Stella Rithara graciously answered the call at IAPCON 2025 in Jammu, India. 

She reports that, "This is an opportunity for IAHPC members to connect, share, and advertise IAHPC during the conferences. I would like to recommend and encourage IAHPC members to physically attend national association conferences, which give us an opportunity to talk about our activities.

"I was glad to spend some time talking to Dr. Mhoira Leng and Dr. Frank Ferris who really supported me by bringing conference attendees to the IAHPC stall. They also helped to explaining the importance and benefits of joining IAHPC.

"This three-day conference was a remarkable experience, where I had the opportunity to present on Palliative Care in the Community—Our Experience in Kenya. Topics of interest during the conference included: Real World Challenges of Palliative Care Integration, The Elephant in the Room: Addressing Sexual Issues in Quality Care, Emotional Support through Humor for Palliative Care, End-of-Life Care in Dementia: Preparing for the End, Before the End, Community Palliative Care and Unscheduled Palliative Care, Advance Care Planning Basics: What the Palliative Care Practitioner Should Know.

"It was wonderful meeting other palliative care providers and learning more about palliative care in different cultures."

---

Read more of this week's issue of Pallinews