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Saint Elizabeth supports hospice care with $4M investment

Canada’s largest social enterprise working to bring positive change to end of life journeys through local partnerships, knowledge leadership and community investments.

Saint Elizabeth Community Enterprise is investing $4 million over two years to strengthen end of life care for people and families and the networks that support them. The funding will expand access to residential hospice care and community-based services, in addition to supporting spiritual care and a variety of education and research initiatives.

There is a growing national need for hospice palliative care as our population ages. The vast majority of Canadians (96%) support hospice palliative care , yet many continue to die without access to high quality, coordinated end of life care.

 “Across the country, there is a groundswell of passionate, committed people who are propelling this issue forward,” said Shirlee Sharkey, CEO of Saint Elizabeth. “By leveraging the unique strengths of our organization and working together with communities, we can escalate impact.”

Saint Elizabeth is currently partnering with a number of local hospices to support innovative models and better access to care. The not-for-profit social enterprise is also collaborating with Hospice Palliative Care Ontario to increase access to online training for thousands of community-based volunteers.

In honour of National Hospice Palliative Care Week, May 1-7, 2016, Saint Elizabeth is inviting all Canadians to pause, recharge and remember their experiences with death and dying. 

Launched online nationally today, The Reflection Room® is an innovative research effort that leverages the power of shared storytelling and experiential design to inspire conversations and support advance care planning. In addition to the online space, installations of the Reflection Room will be held in public spaces such as art galleries, shopping malls and libraries, as well as hospice and hospital environments.

“Death is something that inevitably touches us all – and yet there is a huge opportunity to make the end of life journey more meaningful and accessible,” said Nancy Lefebre, senior vice president and the executive lead for Saint Elizabeth’s end of life strategy. “The Reflection Room is just one example of how we are tackling tough problems, catalyzing new solutions and delivering impact.”

Saint Elizabeth teams from coast to coast are also supporting the effort through their participation in the national fundraising event, Hike for Hospice Palliative Care. The Community Enterprise has pledged to match dollar-for-dollar the total amount of funds raised by Saint Elizabeth employees, with 100% of the money remaining in local communities to benefit hospice care.