Hospice patients in the eastern U.P. will no longer have to wait so long to move from hospital to hospice care, as the construction has been approved for a new Hospice House in Sault Ste. Marie.
The Hospice of the Eastern Upper Peninsula board approved the building recently, with a groundbreaking having taken place Oct. 14. It was all made possible by support from throughout the area, including from Hospice of the EUP itself, which set aside $225,000 for the building.
"The board took a leap of faith," says Tracey Holt, executive director of Hospice of the EUP. "We have raised enough donations, volunteer commitments and pledges to start construction."
Hospice of the EUP provides its services free of charge, and has collected volunteer pledges and donations to assist in the building and running of the Hospice House which will cost somewhere around $700,000 in total.
The need for the facility was clear, Holt says, from a pilot program at Hearthside Assisted Living, where a hospice room was created. Unfortunately, some patients passed away while in a hospital, still waiting for the hospice room. The Hospice House will have six hospice rooms in a 7,700-square-foot facility that is an at-home environment.
"Families will find help and--as in the past--all our services are free. All because of the faith and generosity of our community," says Holt. "We have a chance to move forward and meet the needs of families in end-of-life situations."
The Hospice House will be located on the corner of West 12th Avenue and Ryan Avenue in Sault Ste. Marie, and will take eight months to build. Volunteers are still needed, and donations are still appreciated.
Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Tracey Holt, Hospice of the Eastern Upper Peninsula
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