Join us on Tuesday, December 9, at 11:00 a.m. (Washington, D.C. time or EST) for the event "Universal Access to Palliative Care. Essential and Expanded Palliative Care Packages for Adults and Children". The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC) are convening this webinar to advance awareness and action on accessible, affordable palliative care for all.
The event aims to highlight the essential and expanded palliative care packages for adults and children, addressing persistent gaps in meeting patients’ physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs. Participants will explore current evidence, discuss opportunities and challenges for integrating these care packages into health systems, and learn about resources available from PAHO and IAHPC to strengthen capacity and implementation across the region.
How to participate
- DATE: Tuesday, December 9, 2025
- TIME: 11:00 a.m. (Washington, DC time or EST) [Check at the end of the page the time in other cities]
- LANGUAGES: Spanish and English, with simultaneous interpretation in those languages
- REGISTER: https://paho-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_mxYYvxwgQkyJcSgaDKTILg#/registration
Agenda
11:00 a.m. Opening remarks
11:05 a.m. Overview of integrating palliative care as part of health systems strengthening
- Afsan Bhadelia, IAHPC and Purdue University, USA
11:20 a.m. Palliative care packages for adults and children and implications for adoption and implementation
- Tania Pastrana, IAHPC and Uniklinik RWTH Aachen, Germany
11:35 a.m. Building capacity for palliative care in Latin America and the Caribbean
- Mark Stoltenberg, Mass General
11:50 a.m. Palliative care service strengthening for childhood cancer
- Liliana Vasquez, PAHO
12:05 p.m. Q&A session
12:15 p.m. Closing
Context
On the heels of International Universal Health Coverage Day, PAHO and the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC) are hosting a webinar on the essential and expanded palliative care packages for adults and children, recognizing the unmet needs in this area for accessible, affordable care for all.
Palliative care aims to improve the quality of life for patients facing serious health-related suffering due to severe illness by addressing their physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs. However, many patients experience unmet needs due to various factors, including insufficient access to services, lack of awareness, and inadequate healthcare resources.
In this webinar, the Essential and Expanded Palliative Care Packages for Adults and Children will be presented to address the burden of serious health-related suffering. A review will be provided of the health system opportunities and challenges for adopting and implementing palliative care packages. Additionally, the resources available from PAHO and IAHPC for building capacity and implementing essential palliative care services for adults and children will be presented.
Time in other cities
- 8:00 a.m. – Los Angeles, Vancouver.
- 10:00 a.m. - Belmopan, Guatemala City, Managua, Mexico City, San Salvador, San José (CR), Tegucigalpa
- 11:00 a.m. - Bogotá, Havana, Kingston, Lima, Port-au-Prince, Nassau, Ottawa, Panama City, Quito, Washington D.C.
- 12:00 a.m. – Bridgetown, Caracas, Castries, Georgetown, La Paz, Port of Spain, San Juan, Santo Domingo, Saint George´s Saint John´s
- 1:00 p.m. - Asunción, Buenos Aires, Brasilia, Montevideo, Paramaribo, Santiago
- 5:00 p.m. – Geneva, Madrid.
For other cities, please refer to the local time at this link.