Alexandria, VA (PRWEB) September 18, 2014

Global Partners in Care is pleased to announce their first U.S. and India hospice and palliative care partnership – Hospice of Kankakee Valley of Bourbonnais, Illinois, and Narikeldaha Prayas of Moyna, West Bengal. The two organizations will work together to expand access to hospice and palliative care in the local region where Narikeldaha Prayas is located.

“We are blessed to be in a position to give back to the local community and the hospice community in the world,” said Hospice of Kankakee Valley Executive Director Kevin Turner. “Partnering with Narikeldaha Prayas allows us to extend our mission to provide compassionate physical, emotional, spiritual and social support to terminally ill individuals and their families.”

Narikeldaha Prayas located in Moyna, West Bengal provides rural home home-based palliative care for terminal cancer patients. Through the partnership with Hospice of Kankakee Valley, the organization will gain exposure to various palliative care activities outside of India that will enhance the services they provide to their patients.

“We chose to partner with Narikeldaha Prayas because of the stunning similarities of our mission statements,” said Hospice of Kankakee Valley Social Worker, Rachel Zajicek. “Something which I think is pretty incredible given the fact that on a basic level our cultures are so different and yet on a very specific issue (providing comfort care), our missions are so similar.”

Hospice of Kankakee Valley, located 60 miles south of Chicago, serves six counties surrounding Kankakee, IL. The organization started as a volunteer hospice in 1983 and has grown from those roots to a hospice that serves over 600 patients per year.

“We are thrilled to include Hospice of Kankakee Valley and Narikeldaha Prayas among the 80 U.S. and international hospice and palliative care organizations and international partnerships,” says Global Partners in Care Executive Director, John Mastrojohn. “The two organizations are pioneering our efforts in India and we are eager to establish more partnerships in India and other countries.”

Global Partners in Care’s innovative partnership initiative provides opportunities for U.S. hospice and palliative care organizations to make a commitment to support a hospice and palliative care organization in a developing country. A large percentage of the global need for palliative care is in low and middle income countries.

At this time Global Partners in Care has hospice and palliative care organizations in Africa and India waiting to be partnered with an organization in the U.S.

To learn more about international partnership opportunities and other ways to support Global Partners in Care, please visit the website at http://www.globalpartnersincare.org.

About Global Partners in Care

Global Partners in Care is an affiliate of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. Its mission is building partnerships to enhance compassionate care globally and its vision is a world where individuals and families facing serious illness, death, and grief will experience the best that humankind can offer.