New resource offers the first comprehensive picture of palliative care services across Alberta
Edmonton, AB. (December 15, 2025) – Pallium Canada and the University of Calgary’s Division of Palliative Medicine have launched the Canadian Atlas of Palliative Care: Alberta Edition, the first-ever comprehensive, data-driven overview of how palliative care is delivered and accessed across Alberta.
The Alberta Atlas consolidates provincial and regional data on palliative care access into a single interactive resource, helping identify where access is strong and where more support is needed. Developed with support from McMaster University, Division of Palliative Care, it offers an unparalleled overview across key domains, such as policy, services, and education. By bringing this information together, it helps leaders and policymakers identify strengths, gaps, and opportunities for improvement while providing a strong evidence base to guide future planning.
The Atlas arrives at a critical time as Alberta’s population ages and more people live longer with serious and life-limiting illnesses. Despite significant progress, access to palliative care remains uneven across the province, particularly in rural and remote communities. By making these realities visible, the Alberta Atlas provides clarity on where services are available and where gaps persist. It transforms fragmented data into a clear, evidence-based picture of need and supports action toward a more compassionate and equitable system of care.
“Behind every data point in the Alberta Atlas is a person or family facing a life-limiting illness,” said Jeffrey Moat, CEO of Pallium Canada. “The Atlas reminds us why this work is so critical. It helps us see where we can make care more equitable, more compassionate, and more accessible in Alberta. This is a powerful step toward building a more coordinated and equitable palliative care system for all Albertans.”
Key findings from the Alberta Edition of the Canadian Atlas of Palliative Care include:
The Alberta Edition reveals that while the province has built a strong foundation for palliative care, regional and population-based inequities persist:
- Alberta’s palliative care system is guided by strong provincial frameworks, policies, standards and guidelines.
- Hospitals provide reliable access to specialist palliative care teams, with in-person consultations common in urban hospitals and rural regions relying more on visiting and virtual consultations.
- There is a shortage of palliative care unit beds and hospice beds across the province.
- Community-based palliative care is well established, but availability varies between urban centres and smaller or rural communities.
- Equitable access to palliative care remains a significant challenge for children and other underserved populations.
- Primary palliative care capacity is uneven, with limited home-based and after-hours support in many communities.
“The Alberta Atlas reflects what is possible when researchers, partners, and health care providers come together with a shared vision,” Dr. Leonie Herx, Project Co-lead and Co-Principal Investigator of the Atlas, Division of Palliative Medicine, University of Calgary. “This collaboration has created a powerful resource that not only maps out where we are today but also helps to guide us toward a more equitable and compassionate future for palliative care in Alberta.”
The development of the Alberta Edition of the Atlas was made possible through collaboration with key stakeholder organizations across Alberta, including Covenant, the Alberta Hospice Palliative Care Association, and Alberta Health Services. Their expertise and partnership were essential in capturing a clear and accurate picture of how palliative care is delivered and accessed across the province. Funding for this initiative was provided by the Government of Alberta.
The Atlas is part of a larger national effort to map and improve access to palliative care across Canada. Pallium Canada released the British Columbia Edition and the Ontario Edition early this year.
To access the Alberta Edition of the Canadian Atlas of Palliative Care and learn more, visit pallium.ca/albertaatlas.
For more information, please contact:
Georgina Dunn
Digital Marketing and Communications Manager
gdunn@pallium.ca
(343) 803-4634
About Pallium Canada
Pallium Canada is a Canadian, registered charitable organization focused on building professional and community capacity to help improve the quality and accessibility of palliative care in Canada. With over twenty-five years of experience and over 70,000 learners reached, Pallium Canada has become the largest palliative care education provider for health systems and health care organizations across Canada, with broad experience and expertise working with partners to implement large-scale regional and provincial capacity-building initiatives.
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