St. John Hospice, a new comprehensive palliative care facility in Vancouver providing 14 bedrooms for individuals in need of end-of-life care, officially opened today.

Located at 6389 Stadium Rd., the two-storey hospice will receive operating funds from Vancouver Coastal Health to support on-site care delivered by Providence Health Care. The UBC faculty of medicine has a palliative care research facility in the lower floor of the building and is a participating partner in the education component of this building project.

The building also provides communal living and dining space, a family room, a garden courtyard and a quiet room for residents and their families.

The Order of St. John Palliative Care Foundation fundraised approximately $5.4 million for the project and partnered with government and community organizations to help make the hospice a reality:

• The B.C. government contributed $1 million toward the capital costs.

• Vancouver Coastal Health is providing $1.6 million in annual operational funding.

• The University of British Columbia provided the land and supported the planning process.

• The Order of St. John Palliative Care Foundation developed and furnished St. John Hospice.

• In addition, over $4.4 million was provided by donations.

Quotes:

Rich Coleman, Minister Natural Gas Development and Minister Responsible for Housing -

"It is important that individuals in need of hospice care have access to quality support and compassionate care in the community they know and love. Our government is pleased to have contributed to this facility and I would like to congratulate the Order of St. John Palliative Care Foundation and our project partners for their time and dedication to make St. John Hospice a reality."

Terry Lake, Minister of Health -

"St. John Hospice will provide supportive care to patients and families and is a testament to how we can build end-of-life care capacity through partnerships. High-quality end-of-life care is a critical health service and government has committed to doubling the number of hospice beds available in B.C. by 2020."

Dr. David Ostrow, president and chief executive officer, Vancouver Coastal Health -

"The St. John Hospice is an incredible gift not only to patients and their family members, but also to the larger medical community. The physical proximity of the hospice to a teaching facility like UBC Hospital will provide medical residents and other caregivers the opportunity to partake in meaningful learning experiences about dying with dignity, all in a stunning, purpose-built space."

Pascal Spothelfer, vice president, Communications and Community Partnership, University of British Columbia -

"The hospice attests to UBC's staunch commitment to community partnerships. It opens the door not only to end of life care in a beautiful setting, but also to important research and teaching collaborations with UBC's faculty of medicine."

John Norton, chairman, Order of St. John Palliative Care Foundation -

"The St. John Hospice will provide essential end-of-life-care focused on providing individual dignity, independence and compassion to people from all backgrounds, faiths and income levels, thanks to the generosity of our donors."

Learn More:

To learn more about BC Housing, please visit: www.bchousing.org

To learn more about the Order of St. John Palliative Care Foundation, please visit: www.stjohnhospice.ca

Media contacts:

Fergus McCann
BC Housing
778 452-6445

Lucie McNeill
University of British Columbia
604 312-0845

Gavin Wilson
Vancouver Coastal Health
604 708-5312