A new 8 bed residential hospice is coming to Elgin County. Deputy Premier and Minister of Health Christine Elliott has announced $1.6 million in funding for the St. Joseph’s Health Care Society to open the new residential hospice. Minister Elliott was joined by Minister Jeff Yurek and a large crowd of community members on Friday morning (September 20) for the announcement.
Minister Elliott also announced that once open, the Province will be contributing $840,000 annually in operational funding for the hospice.
Minister Elliott says that this announcement is in line with the Province’s goal of centering care around the patient.
Elliott says that the Province is proud to help bring a hospice to Elgin County, as it is the only County in Southwestern Ontario without one.
No location for the hospice has been determined at this point. A building committee will now be formed of Elgin County residents that will be involved in determining a location, design and build of the hospice.
CEO of St. Joseph’s Health Care Society Richard Corneil says that it will take up to 2 years before the hospice will be open.
Corneil says that he believes that this funding stabilizes the fundraising work that so many individuals and organizations have been working towards for a number of years.
No specifics were given as to the amount of funding needed to build the hospice on top of the $1.6 million in funding from the government. While no specific annual operating cost was given, Corneil said that typically the government will cover 50% of the operating cost of a hospice, putting a rough annual operational cost estimate at $1,680,000.
