What is the Grief Alliance?

Co-led by Nova Scotia Hospice Palliative Care Association and Nova Scotia Health, the Grief Alliance is a province-wide initiative dedicated to strengthening grief support through education, resource sharing, and community collaboration. It serves as a network for individuals and organizations working in grief support, offering opportunities to connect, learn, and share best practices.

 

Grief Alliance Structure

The Grief Alliance is structured to create connection and impact through strong coordination, engaged participants, a regional and provincial approach, and meaningful benefits for those involved.

Leadership

The Grief Alliance is co-led by the Nova Scotia Hospice Palliative Care Association (NSHPCA) and Nova Scotia Health (NSH). Together, they plan and coordinate:

  • Educational opportunities.
  • Regional roundtables.
  • Key program offerings and deliverables.

Participants

The Grief Alliance is open to anyone working in the grief space or interested in grief-related topics.

Participants can:

  • Register and join a mailing list for updates and communications.
  • Engage in regional roundtables to access education, share insights, and connect with others in their communities.
  • Be part of future roundtables focused on specific communities.

Regional and Provincial Approach

The Grief Alliance is structured into regional roundtables—Northern, Eastern, Western, and Central—offering local opportunities for connection and education. At the provincial level, the Alliance also hosts a grief symposium, providing a broader forum for grief education and collaboration.

Benefits of Participation

This collaborative and evolving model ensures that grief services across Nova Scotia remain inclusive, informed, and responsive to community needs.

Some of the benefits include:

  • Access to shared resources and learning materials to support professional and community-based grief support.
  • Participation in roundtable discussions to exchange ideas, insights, and best practices.
  • Access to our province-wide Grief Symposium, an event focused on grief literacy and support.

History of the Nova Scotia Grief Alliance

The need for a coordinated grief support system in Nova Scotia became clear in recent years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and other community tragedies. These events exposed gaps in services and highlighted the urgency for a province-wide approach.

In 2021, discussions began on strengthening grief support, leading to the development of a Provincial Grief Model in 2022. This framework, based on best practices, aimed to unify grief care across the province.

Momentum grew in 2023 when government funding, through the Mass Casualty Commission (MCC) C13 Response, was allocated to address unmet needs in grief, bereavement, and mental health.

By 2024, the Nova Scotia Hospice Palliative Care Association and Nova Scotia Health took the lead in implementing a province-wide grief model, the Nova Scotia Community Grief and Emotional Wellness Model.

The Grief Alliance is not...​

The Grief Alliance is not a funding body, nor does it provide direct grief counseling or services. It is also not a policy or research group. Instead, it serves as a collaborative network, bringing together organizations and communities to share knowledge, resources, and best practices for supporting those experiencing grief and loss.