On 21 October, the Sala Vapor Universitario in Terrassa hosted the opening ceremony of the project “Terrassa, ciutat compassiva. Terrassa al teu costat” (Terrassa, a compassionate city. Terrassa by your side), promoted by UIC Barcelona, Terrassa City Council and the Oncolliga Foundation, in cooperation with other organisations and associations in the city. The event was attended by palliative care experts and representatives from the three leading entities, who, through two round tables, conveyed to the audience what it means to be a compassionate city and the importance of promoting and sharing humanist values, solidarity, compassion and participation in order to support the most vulnerable members of our community.

The Deputy Mayor of Social Rights, Noel Duque, was tasked with welcoming attendees and introducing Sílvia Mateu, project coordinator at UIC Barcelona, who moderated the two round tables. The first featured members of the three palliative care chairs currently active in Catalonia: Dr Xavier Gómez Batiste, director of the Palliative Care Chair at the University of Vic/UCC; Dr Mariona Guerrero, palliative care nurse at the Cuides UIC Barcelona clinic, and member of the WeCare Chair at UIC Barcelona; and Dr Albert Tuca, co-director of the UB-Clinic Chair of Palliative Care and vice president of the Oncolliga Foundation. During their talks, the three experts emphasised “the need for multidisciplinary cooperation in order to provide comprehensive and specialised care for palliative care patients, train health professionals and volunteers in this field, and support patients and their families from a psychosocial perspective”. In addition, the experts stressed the importance of encouraging compassion among members of the community that improves social and cultural attitudes towards death and dying.

The second round table included David Garcia, director of the Social Rights Area of Terrassa City Council; Ivo Valdivielso, manager of the Oncolliga Foundation; and Maria José Casas, manager of the Cuides UIC Barcelona clinic. The three speakers highlighted the significance of this project for the community of Terrassa, stating that “its main objectives are to raise awareness among citizens of loneliness, pain and suffering, to teach professionals how to provide specialised psychosocial care to people at this vital stage of life, and to support patients and their loved ones, especially those who find themselves in more vulnerable situations”.

The numerous talks outlined the project “Terrassa, ciutat compassiva. Terrassa al teu costat” as fruit of the collective experience garnered by the three leading entities. UIC Barcelona has ample experience in the field of palliative care, in terms of both research and teaching, as well as the professional care provided to people with advanced diseases thanks to the Cuides UIC Barcelona clinical team and its psychosocial care team (EAPS), which forms part of the Comprehensive Care Programme for people with advanced illnesses, run by the La Caixa Foundation. The Oncolliga Foundation has a wealth of volunteering experience and know-how, especially in terms of the support they provide to people in the final stages of life, and the broad local knowledge that Terrassa City Council has of its region and the necessary resources in the field of public health, social inclusion and community associations.