Pallium Canada has officially launched the Palliative Care Atlas for Ontario. This innovative resource aims to offer an unparalleled overview of palliative care services across the province, sharing critical data to both the Ontario government and health policymakers.

Currently, no mechanism exists to consolidate nationwide data on palliative care service availability. As such, significant variations exist across Canada in many areas of palliative care, from team access to service integration and education.

Pallium Canada is leading the development of a Canadian Atlas of Palliative Care – Ontario Edition, which aims to map out the current state of palliative care service availability in Ontario, including existing strengths, areas of excellence, and gaps. This research will then be translated into powerful and visual user-friendly tools that will help to improve the availability of palliative care in Ontario.

The Ontario Edition of the Canadian Atlas will be part of the larger Atlas being developed for the whole country and aligns seamlessly with Ontario’s Palliative Care Health Services Delivery Framework and the Ontario Palliative Care Network’s goal for universally accessible care.

The Atlas will serve as a catalyst for change, helping funders, policymakers, the media, health care analysts, health care planners, educators and the community improve their understanding of palliative care systems and forms the foundation for ongoing efforts to ultimately provide timelier, more effective, and compassionate palliative care.