Roger Neilson Children's Hospice

What Roger Neilson Children's Hospice does

Roger Neilson Children's Hospice (legal name Roger Neilson House for Palliative Care) is an independent not-for-profit pediatric hospice palliative care provider founded on April 21, 2006, in Ottawa, Ontario, operating from a single facility at 399 Smyth Road with 8 to 10 inpatient beds serving children and families across Eastern Ontario, Western Quebec, and Nunavut. It delivers a coordinated suite of clinical and supportive programs including Pediatric Hospice Palliative Care (symptom management, end-of-life, respite, transitional care), a first-in-Ontario Perinatal Palliative Care Program, Grief Support Services (Grief Circles, individual counselling, Pregnancy After Loss Support, Caring for Young Grievers workshops), a Memory Making & Legacy Building program, the S.I.B.S. sibling support module, and a Volunteer Visiting Home Hospice Program; in 2026 it is launching Eastern Ontario's first sleepaway Young Grievers Camp. All services are provided free of charge to families.

The underlying technology and clinical infrastructure are anchored by a long-standing integration with the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO): referrals for clinical care are mandatory through the CHEO Palliative Care Team via EpicCare Link, fax, or Epic, with 24/7 on-call physician coverage; the MyChart patient portal handles intake questionnaires and pre-admission forms. In October 2025, RNCH served as Executive Sponsor for Canada's Pediatric Palliative Care Alliance Bilingual Resource Hub, a national digital platform distributing over 400 peer-reviewed pediatric palliative care tools and guides in English and French. In 2024, RNCH, CHEO, and the University of Ottawa launched the first Pediatric Palliative Medicine Subspecialty Residency Program in Canada.

The business model is that of a registered charity with no fee-for-service revenue: RNCH receives all clinical services funding via the Ontario health system and provincial palliative care networks, while donations are processed and managed end-to-end by the CHEO Foundation (online donations, In Honour/In Memory tribute pages, community event templates). Supplementary revenue comes from government grants (notably up to $1M over three years from Health Canada in April 2024), community fundraising events (e.g., Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival Pledge Challenge, bake sales, walk-a-thons), corporate sponsorships, planned giving, and a sizable volunteer base (minimum two shifts/month for one year). Customer acquisition is exclusively referral-based for clinical care and community/network-led for grief services and donations. The organization is governed by a Board of Directors chaired by Michelle Bouchard, with CEO Megan Wright (since 2014) serving ex-officio.

Name

Roger Neilson Children's Hospice

Legal name

Roger Neilson House for Palliative Care

Website

https://rogerneilsonchildrenshospice.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Roger Neilson Children's Hospice is an independent not-for-profit pediatric hospice in Ottawa providing free palliative, perinatal, and grief care to children with life-limiting illnesses and families across Eastern Ontario, Western Quebec, and Nunavut.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pediatric Hospice Palliative Care

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Child and Youth Services (62411)

SIC

Services-Home Health Care Services (8082), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Home Hospice Agencies (HLAFAEAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bereavement, Grief & Family Support Services (Hospice-Linked) (HLAFAEAO), Pediatric Hospice & Palliative In-Home Care (HSABAFAE), Hospice & Palliative Respite Care (HSABAGAG)

Keywords

• Pediatric hospice care
• Palliative care services
• Grief support programs
• Perinatal palliative care
• Bereavement counseling

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Charitable Donations via CHEO Foundation: Primary funding mechanism: CHEO Foundation manages all donations to Roger Neilson Children's Hospice on its behalf. Includes online donations, community event pages, In Honour/In Memory pages, and planned giving. Supports services not covered by government funding.
2. Government Grants: Health Canada funding of up to $1 million over three years (announced April 2024) to develop the bilingual Pediatric Palliative Care Resource Hub, aligning with Canada's Action Plan on Palliative Care.
3. Community Fundraising Events: Third-party organized fundraising events, bake sales, walk-a-thons, dance marathons, neighborhood fairs. CHEO Foundation provides templates and tools. Major partner events include Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival Pledge Challenge.
4. Volunteer-Driven Service Delivery: Volunteers augment service delivery across reception, child and family support, recreation therapy support, memory-making, and home hospice visiting; volunteer commitments (two shifts/month for one year minimum) reduce labor costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Roger Neilson Children's Hospice provides pediatric hospice palliative care in a home-away-from-home setting for infants, children and youth with progressive, life-limiting illnesses, and their families. Services include symptom management, end-of-life care, respite care, transitional care, perinatal palliative care, grief and bereavement support, memory making and legacy building, and a bilingual online Resource Hub of pediatric palliative care tools. All services are provided free of charge to families and funded through charitable donations, government grants, and community fundraising.

Product overview

Roger Neilson Children's Hospice (RNCH) is a single, unified pediatric hospice service provider offering a coordinated suite of care programs rather than a multi-product SaaS platform. Its core offering is Pediatric Hospice Palliative Care delivered in a home-like setting with eight to ten beds, into which several supporting programs are integrated as modules: the Perinatal Palliative Care Program for prenatal/neonatal loss, Grief Support Services (with workshops, Grief Circles and drop-in Grief Connections), Memory Making & Legacy Building, the S.I.B.S sibling support program, the Volunteer Visiting Home Hospice Program, and event-based offerings such as the Young Grievers Camp. Adjacent to these clinical programs, RNCH runs Canada's Pediatric Palliative Care Alliance Resource Hub (a bilingual digital knowledge platform with 400+ peer-reviewed tools) and the Pediatric Palliative Medicine Subspecialty Residency Program in partnership with CHEO and the University of Ottawa. All programs share a common intake/referral pathway via the CHEO Palliative Care Team and the Epic electronic health record.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pediatric Hospice Palliative Care Comprehensive hospice palliative care program for infants, children and youth with progressive, life-limiting illnesses, delivered in a home-like setting with eight to ten beds. Includes Symptom Management, Transitional Care, Respite Care, End-of-Life Care, Recreation Therapy, Individual Counselling, Parent & Caregiver Connections, and the Volunteer Visiting Home Hospice program.
• Grief Support Services Free counselling and group-based grief support program for children, youth, parents/caregivers, grandparents, and families experiencing perinatal or pediatric loss. Includes Caring for Young Grievers workshops, evidence-based Grief Circles, drop-in Grief Connections programs, individual counselling, and Pregnancy After Loss Support Group.
• Perinatal Palliative Care Program Specialized program for parents and families who learn during pregnancy or shortly after birth that their baby has a life-limiting condition. Includes specialized birth planning, memory making, perinatal loss support, Pregnancy After Loss Support Group (P.A.L.S.), and bereavement support for families from 20 weeks gestation to 28 days post-birth.
• Memory Making & Legacy Building Program creating special moments and mementos to celebrate the life and legacy of children receiving care. Includes hand and footprint mouldings, photographs, memory boxes, lock-of-hair keepsakes, painted memory boxes, and other legacy activities delivered in collaboration with families and recreation therapists.
• Spectacular Incredible Brave Sibs (S.I.B.S) Program supporting siblings of children with life-limiting illnesses, providing a safe environment for brothers and sisters to receive peer support, process feelings, and reduce isolation often experienced by siblings of seriously ill children. First-of-its-kind sibling grief program in Ontario.
• Volunteer Visiting Home Hospice Program Community-based program pairing trained volunteers with children in their family homes to provide supportive, stimulating and fun activities, giving parents time to rest or attend to other responsibilities while their child remains engaged at home.
• Young Grievers Camp Eastern Ontario's first sleepaway grief camp for children and youth aged 7-17 who have experienced the death of someone significant. A three-day in-person camp combining traditional camp activities with grief education and professional support.
• Canada's Pediatric Palliative Care Alliance Resource Hub Bilingual (English/French) digital platform providing over 400 peer-reviewed tools and guides to support health care professionals, children, and their families across Canada in accessing high-quality pediatric palliative care. Developed by Canada's Pediatric Palliative Care Alliance with Roger Neilson Children's Hospice as Executive Sponsor and funded by Health Canada.
• Pediatric Palliative Medicine Subspecialty Residency Program First-of-its-kind-in-Canada medical residency partnership between Roger Neilson Children's Hospice, CHEO and the University of Ottawa. Trains physicians as specialists in pediatric palliative medicine through rotations across hospice care, outpatient/inpatient consultation, and home and community-based care.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Long-time clinical partnership; Roger Neilson Children's Hospice works closely with CHEO's Palliative Care Team. Children and families must be referred to the CHEO Palliative Care Team for RNCH eligibility. CHEO coordinates care, provides 24/7 on-call palliative care physicians, and shares the Epic electronic health record. Co-partner in the Pediatric Palliative Medicine Subspecialty Resident Program with the University of Ottawa. RNCH is geographically adjacent to CHEO, making this partnership unique in Canada.
• Ottawa Senators Hockey ClubflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Founding partner alongside CHEO and CHEO Foundation; the Senators Community Foundation and Ottawa Senators Hockey Club were instrumental in helping to establish Roger Neilson Children's Hospice in honour of late NHL coach Roger Neilson. Caitlin Neil (Community Liaison) and Chris Neil (Tie Ambassador) represent this relationship on RNCH's 20th anniversary campaign.
• CHEO FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnduring fundraising partnership; the CHEO Foundation fully manages and supports all primary donations and fundraising for Roger Neilson Children's Hospice. Hosts the RNCH donation platform, community event pages, In Honour/In Memory tribute pages, and provides templates and tools for community-organized fundraising events. Steve Read serves as President & CEO of CHEO Foundation and Ex-officio Director on RNCH's Board.
• University of OttawacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership co-developing the first Pediatric Palliative Medicine Subspecialty Resident Program in Canada. Dr. Christina Vadeboncoeur (RNCH Medical Director) is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Department of Medicine at the University of Ottawa. Residents gain experience through rotations at Roger Neilson Children's Hospice and CHEO.
• Tim Hortons Ottawa Dragon Boat Festival (ODBF)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity fundraising partner and one of five recipient charities in the ODBF 2026 Pledge Challenge. Funding supports RNCH's Young Grievers Camp — Eastern Ontario's first sleepaway grief camp for children and youth aged 7-17. The ODBF helped fund the original hospice construction before opening in 2006. ODBF has raised more than $5.5 million for 75+ local charities.
• Canada's Pediatric Palliative Care AllianceflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMegan Wright (RNCH CEO) is Executive Sponsor of this national alliance of healthcare professionals, leaders, and families with lived experience working to improve equitable access to high-quality pediatric palliative care. Alliance launched the bilingual Pediatric Palliative Care Resource Hub (400+ peer-reviewed tools) on October 9, 2025.
• Kids Come First Health TeamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRNCH is an active original member of this innovative partnership of more than 60 community-based organizations, physicians, and family and youth partners across Eastern Ontario. The Health Team mobilizes partners to develop and implement innovative services and programs.
• Canadian Hospice Palliative Care AssociationminorOthersNational network member contributing to and benefiting from the Canadian hospice palliative care community of practice.
• Hospice Palliative Care OntarioOthers

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Canuck Place Children's Hospice: Canada's other pediatric hospice palliative care provider, located in Vancouver, BC, offering a similar continuum of residential hospice, perinatal, and grief/bereavement services to children and families in British Columbia. Operates as a comparable not-for-profit with government grant funding and a community-built donor model, making it the closest structural and mission-aligned peer to RNCH.
• Helen & Douglas House: UK-based children's hospice providing residential hospice, respite, end-of-life, and bereavement care for children with life-limiting conditions and their families. Directly comparable in service mix (residential hospice + home care + sibling/family support), funding model (charitable donations), and patient population (pediatric life-limiting illnesses).
• Ty Hafan Children's Hospice: Welsh children's hospice offering free palliative care, respite, and bereavement support to children with life-limiting conditions and their families. Comparable as a charity-funded, residential-and-community pediatric hospice with strong family support and memory-making programming paralleling RNCH's model.
• Forget-me-not Children's Hospice: UK children's hospice delivering hospice-at-home, residential hospice, and bereavement support services. Highly comparable operational model — multidisciplinary team, family-centered care, and a primary funding mix of donations and grants — though UK-based.

Broad incumbents

• Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO): Ottawa-based pediatric hospital and RNCH's flagship clinical partner, running its own Palliative Care Team that gates all RNCH referrals and sharing the Epic EHR. Comparable because it delivers overlapping pediatric palliative, perinatal, and bereavement services at a larger institutional scale within the same catchment.
• SickKids (Hospital for Sick Children): Toronto-based pediatric hospital operating a Pain and Palliative Care program that overlaps with RNCH's clinical scope. Comparable as a broad incumbent in Canadian pediatric palliative care and a potential national partner/competitor for tertiary referrals, but does not operate a residential hospice facility.

Emerging players

• Edinburgh Children's Hospital Charity / Royal Hospital for Children and Young People Palliative Care Service: Scotland-based pediatric palliative care service with strong bereavement and family support programming. Partial overlap with RNCH's grief support and clinical care scope; an emerging European model for hospital-anchored pediatric palliative services.

Others

• Together for Short Lives: UK charity serving as the national voice for children's palliative care, supporting hospices and services through advocacy, resources, and standards. Comparable as an ecosystem/industry-association peer to RNCH's role as Executive Sponsor of Canada's Pediatric Palliative Care Alliance.
• Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association: National body representing hospice palliative care in Canada, of which RNCH is an active member. Adjacent ecosystem participant shaping policy, standards, and funding frameworks relevant to RNCH's operating environment.

Regional players

• Mary's Center / PediPals (representative US pediatric palliative care program): US-based community health and palliative care provider archetype offering pediatric palliative and family support services primarily in the Washington, DC region. Comparable service mix and family-centered model, though US-specific payer dynamics and US geography make it a regional rather than direct peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/RNeilsonCH
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@RogerNeilsonChildrensHospice
• Facebookfacebook.com/rogerneilsonchildrenshospice
• LinkedInca.linkedin.com/company/roger-neilson-childrens-hospice
• Instagraminstagram.com/rogerneilsonchildrenshospice

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Roger Neilson Children's Hospice