Learning Objective #1: Articulate principles of successful partnership forging

Learning Objective #2: Apply process of partnership development to his/her own initiative or agency

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At a time when national and provincial organizations are setting broad directions, strategies and action plans for cancer control and hospice palliative care; communication and collaboration among key players is critical to make progress for ensuring effective patient care across the health care system. To this end, the Alberta Cancer Board and the British Columbia Cancer Agency have been pioneers and leaders in addressing hospice palliative care through innovations such as the Hospice Palliative Care Network (Alberta), the Palliative Care Research Initiative (Alberta) and the Pain and Symptom Management/Palliative Care Program (British Columbia). Over the course of several meetings in 2003, both agencies met and exchanged information about their respective programs, interests and vision to further developing hospice palliative care in their own jurisdiction. What emerged was a sense that building on the respective strengths and expertise, significant opportunities to improving hospice palliative care would be realized. The areas identified for capacity building included: • Sharing clinical tools and research data bases; • Sharing policy development strategies; • Cooperating on the development and delivery of patient and provider education; and • Cooperating on research efforts from grant application to dissemination of findings. This initiative is breaking new ground in Canada, as a means of improving the effectiveness of the Alberta Cancer Board's and the British Columbia Cancer Agency's overall response to palliation for people living with or affected by cancer. This presentation will detail the development of this initiative as well as discuss some of its early gains. Partnering principles will be reviewed in hopes that this type of collaboration might be replicated in delegates' own jurisdictions.