This week, Nov. 8 to 14, is Nurse Practitioner Week.
Hospice Muskoka is using the week to highlight its role in Ontario’s health-care system and its contributions to palliative care across Muskoka.
Officials said Hospice Muskoka became Ontario’s first nurse practitioner-led hospice when it opened in 1995, pioneering a model of care that has helped shape hospice services across the province.
“We are proud to have been the first Nurse Practitioner-Led hospice in Ontario and to have helped demonstrate what this model of care can achieve,” said Donna Kearney, CEO of Hospice Muskoka.
Kearney said their role in health care continues to evolve as the demand for specialized palliative services grows, adding that partnerships among health-care providers, dedicated professionals, government and the generosity of the community are what make the model possible.
According to officials, over the last six years, in response to growing demand for nurse practitioner-led hospice care, the organization opened Andy’s House, a 10-bed hospice, in 2020 and launched its at-home care program, Andy’s House at Home, in 2025.
To date, officials said the organization has evolved into a leading provider of specialized, community-based palliative care, supporting more than 500 individuals and families across Muskoka each year.
