A $1-million donation from the Cowichan District Hospital Foundation will help a new hospice facility get closer to becoming a reality.
The donation was announced by foundation executive chair Alison Taylor on Saturday, during the foundation’s annual fundraiser gala at Shawnigan Lake School. It will be added to $5.2 million previously committed by the Cowichan Valley Regional Hospital District, bringing the total closer to the estimated required cost of $8 million.
“Right now, the Cowichan region does not have a dedicated palliative care facility,” Taylor said. “As a result, members of our community die in our crowded hospital, often in four-bed wards, sometimes in hallways.”
The new Cowichan Hospice House facility, which will be built next to Cairnsmore Place in Duncan, will accommodate 10 end-of-life beds, both providing the necessary care for patients nearing the end of their lives, but also lessening the burden on the Cowichan District Hospital.
“Not only will Hospice House provide appropriate and compassionate end-of-life care, but it will also make beds at Cowichan District Hospital available for true acute care and hospital purposes,” Taylor explained.
The hospice was identified three years ago as a vital need for the Cowichan Valley’s health care system.
“It’s shocking that the Cowichan Valley is the only region of its size without a dedicated hospice facility,” Taylor said in a press release from the foundation. “The Cowichan District Hospital Foundation is very excited to help support this dedicated hospice project for Cowichan. The new building will accommodate 10 end-of-life beds that are critical to providing palliative patients with the privacy and dignity that they deserve.”
Taylor also noted that the construction of a new hospital remains a commitment for the foundation, and 20 per cent of the funds raised on Saturday were directed toward that project.
“Our community has made tremendous strides toward this goal,” she said. “The property has been selected, purchased and rezoned. The Cowichan Valley Regional Hospital District is now in a position to meet its funding obligation to the new facility.”
The hospital district is waiting for a commitment from the provincial government before the new hospital can be built.
“Once we have that commitment, Cowichan is ready for the new acute care facility that we so desperately need,” Taylor said.
