GIPPEC Symposium on the Access to Palliative and End-of-Life Care for First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples
The Global Institute of Psychosocial, Palliative and End-of-Life Care (GIPPEC) held its second annual GIPPEC symposium in Toronto, focusing on improving access to palliative and end-of-life care for the First Nations, Inuit and Métis (FNIM) communities.
Following a traditional smudging ceremony, the symposium kicked off with keynote speaker Dr. Carrie Bourassa, Chair in Northern and Indigenous Health and Senior Scientist at Health Science North Research Institute, examining the historical, geographic, language and cultural barriers leading to poor health outcomes for indigenous peoples across Canada.
Through a variety of forums, including storytelling, short documentaries, presentations, panel discussions, and working groups, the symposium illuminated opportunities for improving patient care, cultural safety, and for building authentic partnerships with indigenous communities in developing palliative care programs.
"The goal of our symposia is to bring stakeholders from diverse communities together with clinicians, scholars and government to facilitate meaningful discussion and actions to improve access to high-quality palliative and end-of-life care," says Dr. Gary Rodin, GIPPEC Director.
While this year's GIPPEC symposium series has officially ended, the work has just begun. A detailed report of recommendations from the symposia and working groups will be reviewed and finalized by members of the planning committee and made available soon.
New online, interactive resource launches to improve diabetes prevention and management across the globe
On World Diabetes Day 2016, Sun Life Financial announced a $1 million commitment to the Toronto Rehab Foundation to launch the
Sun Life Financial Diabetes College to help improve wellness around the globe through diabetes prevention and management.
Congratulations to Dr. Paul Oh, Medical Director, Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation Program at Toronto Rehab, and his team for their leadership in developing the online, interactive resource for people who have been identified as having diabetes or prediabetes.
