OutCare Fund invests $1.5M to strengthen palliative care across the region, including transformative gift to Bruyère Health
03/25/2026
Bruyère Health is honoured to be among 10 organizations receiving support from the OutCare Fund, which today announced more than $1.54 million in funding for palliative care across the National Capital Region.
The OutCare Fund, established at the Community Foundation of Ottawa following the closure of the OutCare Foundation in 2023, continues its long-standing commitment to strengthening hospice and palliative care.
This year, the Fund’s Advisory Board made the decision to release a significant portion of available resources to address the growing needs of patients and families across our region.
As part of this important investment, Bruyère Health Foundation is receiving $386,000 to establish the OutCare – Hospice Palliative Care Nursing Fellowship. This new initiative will create meaningful opportunities for nurses working in area hospices to deepen their expertise through a 12‑week specialized study in a palliative care topic of their choosing. The program will be administered through Bruyère Health, reinforcing our leadership role in education, innovation, and excellence in end‑of‑life care.
“Our community’s hospices are experiencing unprecedented demand,” said Christine Irvine, former Chair of the OutCare Foundation and current Chair of the Fund’s Advisory Board. “We felt strongly that these funds needed to be put to work now – supporting the dedicated teams who provide compassionate care every day, and ensuring families continue to have access to the comfort, dignity, and support they deserve at end of life.”
This generous gift will not only support frontline nursing professionals—it will directly enhance the care patients and families receive throughout our region. By investing in specialized training and research, the fellowship will help shape the future of palliative care, build stronger clinical expertise, and improve patient experience across multiple care settings.
Bruyère Health extends our deepest thanks to the OutCare Fund and its Advisory Board – Christine Irvine, Linda Bruce, and Andy Loney – for their unwavering commitment to compassionate care. Their leadership and generosity will have a lasting impact on our community and on the patients and families we serve every day.