The Province has provided $125,000 for improved access to hospice palliative care in the Comox Valley.

“The palliative stage of care is a challenging time for both patients and their families,” said Comox Valley MLA Don McRae. “This funding will go a long way towards ensuring that we are providing the highest quality of care when people need it most.”

The BC Centre for Palliative Care distributed $120,000 to the Comox Valley Hospice Society for two new community hospice beds to further build capacity in the Comox Valley. Target completion date is March 2018.

As well, the centre, in partnership with the BC Hospice Palliative Care Association, allocated a $5,000 seed grant to the Comox Valley Hospice Society to support patients and families.

Examples of seed grant projects include workshops educating the public about advance care planning; recruiting and training volunteers to link patients with serious illness and families to the available local services; and public awareness campaigns about palliative care supports. 

The Ministry of Health and health authorities collaborated with the BC Centre for Palliative Care to determine how the funds would be allocated by studying B.C.’s palliative population data to assess characteristics such as age, underlying cause of death and geography. Current bed-to-population ratios and home-based palliative services were also looked at, as well as projections of future demand.

The BC Centre for Palliative Care was established in 2013 by the Institute for Health System Transformation and Sustainability to support palliative and end-of-life care practices based on evidence, education and innovation to improve and support care for those living with and dying from serious illness and their families.

Learn More:

For a photo, visit: https://flic.kr/p/Q4zpYC

To learn more about supports offered by the Province for end-of-life care, visit:
www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/accessing-health-care/home-community-care/care-options-and-cost/end-of-life-care

For more information on hospice palliative and end-of-life care in Island Health, visit:
www.viha.ca/pal_eol/

More information on the BC Centre for Palliative Care can be found at: www.bc-cpc.ca