Sea to Sky families can now receive dignified, supportive end-of-life care for their loved one in the comfort of their own community with the new Whistler Blackcomb Foundation Sea-to-Sky Community Hospice.
The four-bed hospice is now open. Located in a significantly renovated wing at the adjacent Hilltop Long Term Care Home, the hospice provides a dedicated home-like environment where clients and families will experience compassionate, patient-focused end-of-life care.
Clients were previously cared for in Squamish General Hospital, Hilltop Long Term Care Home or outside the community.
Recognizing the need for more end-of-life care options for Sea to Sky residents, Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) partnered with the Squamish Hospice Society to build the $2.6 million hospice.
Key features of the new hospice include private bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms for patients, a central living and kitchen area, a sacred space and a fold-out couch so family members can stay overnight. The hospice also has a family laundry room and a shower/tub room.
Staff have access to a nursing station, medication room and consultation office.
“This project really hit home to heart. We raised $2.6 million all because of our residents coming together from Squamish, Whistler, Pemberton and all the communities along the Sea to Sky corridor to support each other,” said Mark McKenzie, chair of the Squamish Hospice Society.
“When people have a loved one who will pass away, grief and emotions come into play. Being able to support them in an environment with a peaceful setting and services that take care of families and their loved ones will be incredible.”
The hospice was made possible thanks to $696,000 from the Sea to Sky Regional Hospital District, a $300,000 donation from the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation, and $400,000 from the Province distributed through the B.C. Centre for Palliative Care and Squamish Hospice Society. Vancouver Coastal Health will provide an annual operating budget of $566,000.
“We are thrilled that the Whistler Blackcomb Foundation Sea to Sky Community Hospice will soon be opening its doors, ready to provide much needed compassionate hospice care in our corridor,” said Whistler Blackcomb Foundation executive director Mei Madden.
