Healthcare Quarterly Presents a Special Issue

Healthcare Excellence Canada and the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer are unveiling the learnings from the Improving Equity in Access to Palliative Care (IEAPC) collaborative in an upcoming special issue of Healthcare Quarterly.

Discover practical strategies and innovative models of care that are helping improve equitable access to palliative care across Canada.  Readers will hear from individuals across the country doing the work and learn actionable strategies to build equity into design, delivery and evaulation of new and exisiting initiatives and strengthen grief support for underserved populations, all while improving access.

The issue highlights the importance of creating culturally safer care environments and shares collective learnings from five communities across Canada dedicated to improving access to culturally grounded palliative care for First Nations, Inuit and Metis communities.

To further enrich the conversation, Holly Prince, Anishinaabekwe and Indigenous Peoples' Health & Aging Division Lead, hosts three companion podcasts featuring healthcare leaders and community partners discussing how to move ideas into action at the "speed of trust."

Table of Contents

Improving Equity in Access to Palliative Care for Communities Experiencing Homelessness or Vulnerable Housing
In 2022, Healthcare Excellence Canada and the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (the Partnership) launched the Improving Equity in Access to Palliative Care collaborative. This article introduces this special issue of Healthcare Quarterly and highlights gaps in palliative care for people experiencing homelessness or vulnerable housing.

Bridging the Gap: Why Lived Experience Is Essential in Palliative Care for the Unhoused
Written by an outreach worker with lived experience of structural inequities, this commentary tells the stories of Carrie and Bobby, who navigate healthcare systems not designed for their realities. The author describes how lived experience builds bridges that strengthen trust, close care gaps and improve access to compassionate palliative support.

Engaging in a Relational Approach: Addressing Inequities in Access to Palliative Care for Indigenous Peoples
A relational, equity-oriented lens highlights inequities in palliative care access for First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. This lens emphasizes the importance of culturally safer care grounded in cultural humility, respectful engagement, and partnerships that support Indigenous peoples experiencing homelessness or vulnerable housing at the end of life.

Grief and Bereavement in the Context of Homelessness: Sharing Experiences and Learnings From British Columbia
Insights from British Columbia show how grief and bereavement unfold in the context of homelessness, revealing high exposure to loss and significant structural barriers to support. The article outlines strategies for grief support among populations that may be mistrustful of, or unable to access, traditional services.

Reflections on Innovative Models of Palliative Care Delivery
Innovative equity-oriented palliative models of care emerging across Improving Equity in Access to Palliative Care communities – including mobile outreach, clinical pathways, bed-based care and capacity building through engagement – illustrate how flexible, context-specific approaches can expand access to compassionate, culturally safe palliative care for people experiencing homelessness or vulnerable housing.

The Power of the Collective: Evaluating the Impact of Pan-Canadian Efforts to Improve Access to More Equitable Palliative Care
This article examines the implementation, outcomes and impact of the Improving Equity in Access to Palliative Care (IEAPC) collaborative, a pan-Canadian improvement initiative designed to increase access to equity-oriented palliative care for people experiencing homelessness or vulnerable housing. Using a co-created, flexible Evaluation Framework grounded in principles of equity, cultural safety, and relational practice, we explore both how the collaborative was implemented and its broader impacts across the Quintuple Aim.

Many Paths, Walking Together: Honouring Collective Reflections in Indigenous-Centred1 Palliative Care in Canada
From 2024 to 2026, five Indigenous-centred initiatives across Canada strengthened access to palliative care for First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples experiencing housing insecurity and systemic barriers. The initiatives showed that equitable palliative care is most effective when communities lead care grounded in culture, relationships and self-determination.

What Leaders Need to Know About the Design and Delivery of Equity-Oriented Palliative Care
This article outlines key considerations for designing and delivering equity-oriented palliative care for people experiencing homelessness or vulnerable housing and highlights the actions healthcare leaders can take to address structural inequities and improve access to high-quality end-of-life care.

Reflections From Our Collaborative Journey: A Collective Vision for Palliative Care in Canada
This article examines the implementation, impact and lessons learned from the Improving Equity in Access to Palliative Care (IEAPC) collaborative, a pan-Canadian improvement initiative designed to increase access to equity-oriented palliative care for people experiencing homelessness or vulnerable housing. Using a co-created, flexible Evaluation Framework grounded in principles of equity, cultural safety and relational practice, we explore both how the collaborative was implemented and its broader impacts.

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