Global Partnership Award Recipients

Global Partners in Care has announced that its partners, Hospice of the North Coast (located in Carlsbad, California) and Nkhoma Mission Hospital (located in Lilongwe, Malawi), are the recipients of the 2021 Global Partnership Award. The award will be presented during the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s annual Leadership and Advocacy Conference on March 7, 2022.

The Global Partnership Award is an opportunity to recognize the outstanding efforts of a partnership that has demonstrated the core values of a true partnership: commitment to building a strong relationship, partner collaboration, staff contribution and commitment, and community outreach and involvement. The award comes with a $500 donation to the international hospice partner.

“Hospice of the North Coast has shown what a tremendous impact one partnership can have in the delivery of palliative care. The long-term commitment they have made to Nkhoma Mission Hospital has made a lasting effect on the patients and families in their community who need palliative care.” said Mark Murray, President / CEO of Global Partners in Care.

“Being involved in this partnership has enhanced morale and is a way to be engaged in our organization,” noted Sharon Lutz, Executive Director of Hospice of the North Coast. “There are no borders with palliative and hospice care. It’s humanity. It reaches across any border and the fact that we get to be a part of it is amazing.”

Dr. Sam Kabota, Clinical Superintendent/Elective Coordinator, at Nkhoma Mission Hospital shared this about the partnership. “There’s an African proverb: if you want to go fast go alone, but if you want to go FAR then go with others… we have chosen to go far with Hospice of the North Coast in these troubled times of cyclones, COVID-19 and extreme poverty amongst our palliative care patients and their guardians.”

Global Partners in Care congratulates Hospice of the North Coast and Nkhoma Mission Hospital for their outstanding commitment to their partnership and for making a lasting impact on palliative care in Africa.

In a year dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic, we didn’t feel comfortable singling out any one organization as the Global Partnership Award winner. Instead we felt it was important to honor palliative care workers as a whole. Our #GlobalPallCareHero campaign honored and celebrated the individual contribution palliative care workers make to improve the quality of living (and dying), especially in light of their tremendous work during the COVID-19 pandemic. This effort was a way to say ‘thank you,’ while helping to increase the awareness of the often unsung heroes who work in palliative care.

Learn more about the campaign

Global Partners in Care has announced that its partners, Caring Circle (located in southwest Michigan) and Our Lady’s Hospice Kenya (located in Thigio, Kenya), are the recipients of the 2019 Global Partnership Award.

The partnership was formed in 2017 and since its inception has successfully brought these two organizations together through monthly video calls and countless emails. These connections give them the opportunity to share the challenges and joys of their work, and to share ideas to help Our Lady’s Hospice continue to serve their community. Caring Circle has an active partnership committee, led by social worker Kunga Drotos. In fact, the partners have already collaborated on exchange visit to Kenya, as well as a visit to Michigan by Sr. Deborah Mallot, director of Our Lady’s Hospice. These person-to-person interactions have brought a depth to the partnership and to the relationships of the staffs from both organizations.

Caring Circle has engaged their community in fundraising efforts, which gives them opportunities to share Our Lady’s Hospice’s story and their perspective on providing end-of-life care to those in under-resourced, under-served areas near Nairobi.  These efforts, along with participation from Caring Circle employees, has resulted in funding for Our Lady’s Hospice which assists the Kenyan hospice in providing compassionate care to those in need.

“Our staff was overwhelmed that people cared enough about them and wanted to better their hospice. These visits are so important for our staff to be able to see what is possible in the future.”

Sr. Deborah Mallot, director of Our Lady’s Hospice

There is a clear sense of mutual respect and trust between these partners. As they continue to move forward with their partnership mission “to bring professional, educational, and financial support to Our Lady’s Hospice in Kenya,” more good work will result.

With the global pandemic, we were unable to present the award in-person, but we did present it virtually. If you would like to see the video presentation, click here.

The 2018 Global Partnership Award was presented to Hospice of the Western Reserve (located in Cleveland, OH) and Helderberg Hospice (located in Smerset West, South Africa. The award was presented during the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization’s annual Leadership and Advocacy Conference on April 15, 2019.

“Hospice of the Western Reserve has shown what a tremendous impact one partnership can have in the delivery of palliative care. The long-term commitment they have made to Helderberg has made a lasting effect on the patients and families needing palliative care,” said Mark Murray, President / CEO of Global Partners in Care.

“This partnership is as important as anything we do,” noted William Finn, CEO of Hospice of the Western Reserve. New employees receive a briefing on the partnership and the organization has named a conference room after its South African partners.

“The visits that we have been privileged to share over the years have highlighted our similarities and shown that as long as you have a hospice heart, we speak the exactly same language. I personally was fortunate enough to be involved in the 2015 visit to Cleveland and was so impressed by the fact that all the staff members with whom we met were so welcoming and generous with sharing their time and knowledge. No request was too big or too difficult and as a result, the time spent was most informative and has proved invaluable over the intervening years. It was a very busy time with not a minute wasted but we returned home energized and ‘fed’ by the generosity of our partners across the water.”

Gail Sykes CEO of Helderberg Hospice

The sixth annual Global Partnership Award was presented to Susquehanna Home Care & Hospice, based in Williamsport, Pennsylvania and their Tanzanian partner, Shirati Hospital Palliative Care at a lunch attended by conference attendees. Staff from both organizations regularly shared patient stories, photos and program highlights throughout the year. Over $15,000 was sent directly to Shirati to support their organization’s needs. Susquehanna also hosted Nurse Dorothy from Shirati and during her visit she met with staff, several health systems and community groups.

“At Susquehanna Health, we are honored and thrilled to receive this award,” says Susquehanna Medical Director, Dr. Alexander R. Nesbitt. “The partnership with Shirati has helped us to be inspired and motivated in what we do and to think differently about healthcare, community, and community wide collaboration. It has also allowed us to engage many in our community in the importance of hospice and palliative care work here and around the world.”

“When we were seeking a partnership through Global Partners in Care, we requested to be joined with a program similar to ours – one that served a rural area and was faith based,” says Susquehanna Medical Social Worker, Allison R. Brion. “As soon as we learned of Shirati, we knew the partnership was meant to be.”

The fifth annual Global Partnership Award was presented to Samaritan Healthcare and Hospice of New Jersey and Kawempe Home Care of Uganda. Samaritan says that this partnership has provided new avenues for staff and volunteers to engage with each other and in the community.

“Samaritan feels both elated and humbled to be chosen for the 2015 Global Partnership Award from the 80 U.S. hospices which have chosen to share resources, expertise, and friendship with a sister hospice across the globe,” says Samaritan President and CEO, Mary Ann Boccolini. “On behalf of all those hospices, we welcome the opportunity to participate more fully in our global village.”

“The future of the partnership is really very bright, we have set up programs for medical education, resources mobilization and education support for orphans and vulnerable children,” says Executive Director of Kawempe Home Care, Dr. Samuel Guma. “These programs will strengthen our palliative care program and the overall development of the organization.”

The fourth annual Global Partnership Award was presented to Gilchrist Hospice Care of Hunt Bend, Maryland and Nkoaranga Lutheran Hospital Palliative Care Program of Tanzania. Gilchrist excelled in their outreach efforts and raised over $87,000 in 2013 through a variety of staff and community events and fundraising initiatives.

“This partnership has made us a better hospice,” says Catherine Hamel, Executive Director of Gilchrist Hospice Care. “Through our partnership with Nkoaranga, we have learned the meaning of humility and grace. We are reminded of how powerful it is to make the most of everything we have and how little we actually need to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.”

The third annual Global Partnership Award was presented to Center for Hospice Care/Hospice Foundation (CHC/HF) of South Bend, Indiana and Palliative Care Association of Uganda. CHC/HF raised over $25,000 in 2012 for the partnership and actively engages in collaborative projects with PCAU.

“Our Global Partners in Care partnership has been rewarding and meaningful for our staff, our board and our volunteers. It has been our privilege to be partnered with PCAU. But it’s so much more than a partnership. For us, faraway places have come closer, the planet has become smaller, and our own hospice family has grown in the best ways possible,” said Mark Murray, president and CEO of CHC/HF.

The second annual Global Partnership Award recognized two outstanding partnership efforts: 1) The Denver Hospice in Colorado partnered with Selian Lutheran Hospice in Tanzania, and 2) The Community Hospice of Rensselaer, New York partnered with Island Hospice & Healthcare in Zimbabwe, and South Coast Hospice and Tapologo Hospice in South Africa.

• The Denver Hospice and Selian Lutheran Hospice: In 2011, The Denver Hospice and Selian Lutheran Hospice focused their partnership efforts on the growth and development of Selian Lutheran Hospice’s pediatric care programs, initiated by a visit from a nurse and social worker from The Denver Hospice.

“Our 10-year partnership with Selian Lutheran Hospice has been one of the most profound undertakings of our organization. We have gained much love, wisdom and joy from our experiences with the Selian staff and community. Our employees are enriched by this mission that knows no borders,” said Bev Sloan, president and CEO of The Denver Hospice.

• The Community Hospice and Island Hospice and Healthcare, South Coast Hospice, and Tapologo Hospice: The Community Hospice, which raised nearly $80,000, partners with three African hospice programs in South Africa and Zimbabwe to help support palliative care services in these countries.

“It’s a profound privilege to help people help themselves. We’re all in this together, and there’s real need in sub-Saharan Africa, but focusing on the despair would be missing the point. We need to focus on the living and the hope and the real spirit of the people, which has inspired us all,” said Ron Watson, CEO of The Community Hospice.

Global Partners in Care presented the first Global Partnership Award to Suncoast Hospice and their partner, Hospice of the Witwatersrand in South Africa.

“It is very clear that hospices programs in the U.S. and their counterparts in Africa take their partnerships very seriously and work hard to make them meaningful and valuable,” said John Mastrojohn, Executive Director, Global Partners in Care . “The selection committee was deeply impressed with the sheer depth and breadth of the joint activities of the Suncoast and Witwatersrand partnership.”