NHPCO NewsLine Summer 2021 - 29

with life-limiting conditions. With
support from its US partner,
Indiana-based Center for Hospice
Care, the Palliative Care
Association of Uganda worked
with its member organizations
and the Uganda Ministry of
Health to ensure that palliative
care was integrated into essential
health services country-wide
during the pandemic.
Collaborative efforts like this -
and the many others that took
place locally, nationally and
internationally - illustrate the
determination of the palliative
care community to serve those in
their care with compassion and
dedication, regardless of the
challenges they face.
The impact of compassion and
dedication can be felt closer to
home as well for GPIC's US
partners. Hospice of the North
Coast (HNC) in California has
been partnered with Malawi's
Nkhoma Hospital's palliative care
unit since 2015. HNC Executive
Director Sharon Lutz recently
said about their partnership,
" Sharing the stories about people
impacted through our
international relationship
encourages people to become
champions. We have three new
employees who were so excited to
learn about our global
partnership that they joined our
partnership committee after only
one week of employment. "
The HNC/Nkhoma partnership
has given HNC a tool to help with
employee engagement and
morale as well. Lutz noted that
the new employees " had been in
hospice and never heard about it
in any other organization. They
were so excited! One has already
become a delegate on the
international association, so I
think it does enhance morale. It
enhances a way to be engaged in
our organization. "
In addition, the impact of the
partnership has spread to those
HNC cares for as well. " We had a
family with a loved one who
passed, and they gave us a
donation of $2,500 designated
for PPE for our global partner.
That has never happened to us
before, and it says volumes to us, "
Lutz said.
Whether in Sub-Saharan Africa
or the US, palliative care
providers are often the unsung
heroes of healthcare, in part
because palliative care is a small
field. During a pandemic,
palliative care is not only an
essential service; it also provides
an additional layer of support for
patients and families as they
navigate the challenges their
serious illnesses present and the
restrictions imposed during the
pandemic.
These are some of the reasons
why we created the " Palliative
Care Heroes " campaign. The
campaign, with the tagline
" Superhero Attitude, Superhuman
Effort, " recognizes and celebrates
the contributions that palliative
care workers make to improve the
quality of living (and dying),
particularly through their
tremendous, tireless work during
the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal
of this campaign is to simply say,
'thank you' to the estimated
400,000 healthcare workers and
1.2 million volunteers delivering
palliative care globally.
We invite US hospice
organizations to join us in
A GPIC partnership
can boost staff morale
and community
engagement as well
as making an
affirmative impact
across the globe.
Newsline / Summer 2021 29
NHPCO NewsLine Summer 2021

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