Short Lives Can’t Wait

National Children’s Hospice Palliative Care Day, October 8, 2026

The second Thursday in October marks National Children’s Hospice Palliative Care Day in Canada. On this day, CHPCA encourages governments, healthcare organizations, communities, and individuals to recognize the gaps in children’s hospice palliative care and take action to ensure every child with a serious illness and their family has access to compassionate, high-quality support.

Short Lives Can’t Wait

Every child with a serious illness and their family deserves high-quality, family-centred hospice palliative care, yet many families across Canada continue to face gaps in accessing care, limited caregiving supports, and inadequate grief and bereavement services.

This National Children’s Hospice Palliative Care Day, CHPCA (Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association, in collaboration with Canada’s Pediatric Palliative Care Alliance , is calling on governments, healthcare leaders, organizations, and communities to take action. By raising awareness of, and advocating for, equitable access to care, stronger supports for families, and sustainable investment in children’s hospice palliative care, we can help ensure every child and family receives the compassionate care they need, because short lives can’t wait.

To learn more about the 2026 National Children’s Hospice Palliative Care Day campaign including how to get involved, please visit:   https://www.chpca.ca/awareness/national-childrens-hospice-palliative-care-day/

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