Sarnia's St. Joseph's Hospice is thrilled with the Ontario government's decision to invest an additional $75-million over the next three years in community palliative care and residential hospices.
The money will fully cover nursing costs at the ten-bed hospice, providing an anticipated $25,000 extra per bed annually. That would amount to total investment of $115,000 per bed per year.
Fund Development Manager Maria Muscedere says the money doesn't cover food, kitchen, and overhead costs.
She says they still need to raise about $1.4-million per year to cover those expenses.
"The funding will help in many ways but we can't do it without the continued support from hospice staff, volunteers, and the community at large," says Muscedere. "We really want to thank the government for recognizing the benefits this will have in the future."
With an aging population in Sarnia, it's feared the demand for care could increase and overwhelm the healthcare system unless access to hospice palliative care is expanded.
According to the auditor general, it costs at least twice as much to fund hospital beds than it does to fund a residential hospice bed.
