The Province is providing $1.746 million for palliative and hospice care in British Columbia to support patients and caregivers.
“The end-of-life journey touches each of us at some point,” said Port Moody-Coquitlam MLA Linda Reimer, on behalf of Health Minister Terry Lake. “The Province understands that patients and loved ones need to be supported during an emotional time and today’s announcement will help strengthen hospice and palliative services in communities around British Columbia.”
Funding will support hospice and palliative locations in British Columbia and be used for patient care quality and caregiver support; patient and health-care worker safety; education, tools and resources; improved continuity of patient care and, equipment to support delivery of patient care. Examples include renovating patient treatment spaces and purchasing new equipment, such as a transport van.
“BC Hospice Palliative Care Association is very grateful to the Province and the Ministry of Health for this latest investment in hospice palliative care,” said Lorraine Gerard, BC Hospice Palliative Care Association executive director. “Some of BCHPCA’s organizational members – not-for-profit societies that operate residential hospices – have received funding directly and other member hospice societies are affiliated with the publicly operated palliative-care programs that are receiving funding. With an aging population, quality, responsive hospice palliative care will need to be supported and available in all settings, not only hospital palliative-care units and residential hospices but in long term care facilities and where most people would say they would prefer to die – at home.”This investment builds on an announcement in January 2017 of $7.125 million from the Province to create new hospice beds in communities around British Columbia and make improvements to current spaces as well as supporting best practices in the palliative approach to care as well as advance care planning, working through the BC Centre for Palliative Care.
In addition, the Province provided $4 million in February 2017 to Canuck Place Children’s Hospice for pediatric, palliative medical care and to support children and families in British Columbia.
Learn More:
For a photo of MLA Reimer at Crossroads Hospice Society in Port Coquitlam, please visit: https://flic.kr/p/SnDCQM
To learn more about supports offered by the Province for end-of-life care, visit: http://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/accessing-health-care/home-community-care/care-options-and-cost/end-of-life-care
More information on the BC Hospice Palliative Care Association can be found at: https://bchpca.org/
More information on the BC Centre for Palliative Care: www.bc-cpc.ca
To learn more about My Voice, a provincial guide for advance care planning, visit: http://www.health.gov.bc.ca/library/publications/year/2013/MyVoice-AdvanceCarePlanningGuide.pdf
A backgrounder follows.