Sunshine Coast Hospice Society has cut its ties with the Trellis Seniors Services long-term care facility project, citing timing and a desire to stay within the public domain.
“We believe the best option for the Sunshine Coast is a hospice and palliative care facility that is publicly owned and operated,” said hospice society president Denis Fafard in a release issued June 3 – the same day a public information meeting on the proposed Trellis project was held. “If we had gone ahead with the Trellis option, we would have been the only community in B.C. which would have had its hospice services contracted out to a private operator,” he told Coast Reporter in a follow-up interview.
The hospice society thanked Trellis in the release “for their willingness to work with us. However, the time we need to conduct a capital campaign and our vision do not align with the Trellis plan.”
Fafard said the society intends to work with VCH to build a hospice as part of the proposed re-purposing of Shorncliffe, “after seriously considering” Trellis and other options.
“We are also open to exploring other location options, should they become available during our planning period,” said Fafard.
A four-bed hospice was included in the Trellis plan in June 2016 when the project was announced, and the hospice society said it would work closely with VCH, Trellis and other groups on the design and funding. In July 2019, the society said it would fundraise at least $2 million to build the hospice, which was expected to cost up to $5 million. The society had asked the Sunshine Coast Regional Hospital District to cover up to 40 per cent of construction.
Fafard told Coast Reporter the Hospice Society would not have sufficient time to raise the necessary funds to align with Trellis’s construction timeline. According to its discussions with VCH, the society would have to raise the majority of capital funds before shovels hit the ground. Trellis expects to open mid-2022 and construction is expected to take 18 months. “In order to do a capital campaign well … it requires a lot of planning and a lot of time,” Fafard said. The society expects to launch its capital campaign in spring 2021.
In the June 3 release, Fafard said the society wants to complete a plan for the Sunshine Coast Hospice and Palliative Care Centre by early fall and have an agreement in place by the end of the year. VCH would manage and operate the facility, and funds raised for the hospice to date will continue to be restricted for that purpose. The release says it is important the proposed four-bed hospice be able to double its capacity within 10 years of its opening.
The hospice society informed Trellis and VCH of its decision earlier this week.
Mary McDougall, president of Trellis Seniors Services, addressed the hospice society’s decision during the June 3 virtual public information meeting about the Trellis long-term care home.
“The hospice has informed us that they are heading in a different direction with their planning,” she said.
The Trellis design includes an eight-bed “house” that is sized for hospice services and McDougall said that section could be used for long-term care beds.
“In the absence of needing hospice in the community, the eight-bed house would provide long-term care. However, it has the flexibility to provide hospice services if that is the ultimate direction,” she said, adding that it would be up to VCH to determine whether there is a need for hospice beds.
– With files from Sean Eckford
