Goal reached for new hospice
Hospice Peterborough reached its fundraising goal for its new care centre after receiving $2 million from the provincial government.
Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Minister and Peterborough MPP Jeff Leal announced the province’s support at Hospice on Rubidge Street on Thursday.
Following Leal’s words, Linda Sunderland, Hospice executive director, revealed to a crowded room that the contribution meant Hospice had hit its expanded fundraising target.
The original $8.5-million mark was stretched after Hospice encountered unexpected issues during construction. A plan renovate the historic former Langton House on London Street was thwarted after several challenges arose. A decision was then made to raze the building instead, which added further expenses.
Thanks to the Ontario government’s backing, plans for the new buildings can go ahead.
“We are so grateful for the support of the Ministry of Health so we can move forward quickly and don’t have to go back to our community and ask for more support,” Sunderland said.
When the executive director got word that the province would help to fund the project, she was speechless.
“It was amazing to know that we could just put that off our plate and focus totally on the new design and building this Hospice Peterborough Care Centre as quickly as we could,” she said.
New designs for the build are underway and will be revealed to the community in November. Sunderland said they include a two-level design with a main level and a lower level that will match seamlessly with the level already in the ground for the Hospice care residence.
There’ll be two buildings on site: one is a 10-bed residence, the other will house administration, programs and services.
The beds will be the first hospice beds in the city and county. Currently, there are only three hospice beds between Scarborough and Algonquin Park. They’re in Trent Hills. That means families in the area have to decide if they want their loved ones to die in hospital or at home.
When Le al’ s brother Ted was dying, he spent his last days in an emergency room bed at Peterborough Regional Health Centre. Though the care Ted received was phenomenal, Leal said, in hindsight, he thinks that bed should have given to someone who had a chance to live.
“Given the opportunity for the last weeks of my brother’s life, a hospice setting would have been much better, no question about that,” Leal said.
After hearing of the challenges Hospice faced with the construction of the new care facility, Leal said he approached Health and Long-Term Care Minister Eric Hoskins to consider making a substantial capital campaign to the Peterborough project.
He said the funding is a salute to the great work Hospice Peterborough is doing, as well as the efforts of the Every Moment Matters campaign, aimed at raising money for the new centre.
The new hospice is now slated to open in December 2018.