Hospice Wellington Funding Vote

I write to you in support of another outstanding initiative within our great city.

I understand that there is a vote at Council tomorrow night on a funding motion to enable the construction of the Residential Hospice. I sincerely hope that you will vote in favour of this motion,without significant amendment, for the following reasons:
  – the concept of moving terminal care to a more community based model from a hospital, institutional model is widely proven and accepted as being a more cost effective solution. It also provides better utilisation of acute, critical care beds which are already in short supply. Michael Deckter, amongst others, has studied, proved and recommended such a move within the context of an increasingly efficient healthcare service
  -The outcomes, while the same, ie “death”, follow a far more empathetic, supportive and flexible path which better reflect the personal needs of the patient, their families and the level of medical interventions being somewhat outside the bounds of a highly regulated, potentially litigious hospital environment
  -The opportunity for families to build supportive relationships with those that they meet in the more intimate Hospice environment is very important
  -Coming from Edinburgh, Scotland, where residential hospice care is both mature and extensive, I know, beyond any doubt, the enormous approval, value and support that they have in the UK and other sophisticated European countries

As you are well aware, other leading and progressive, comparable cities: K/W., Oakville etc have successful residential models of which they are proud.

I served on the Hospice Wellington Board for about 5 years, 1987 to 1992, when this concept was born and I promoted and supported it strongly for the above reasons. My wife and I have just donated $100,000. This project, I think, is suffering from the same problem that many I have been closely associated with, both in business and the community, have suffered. People have a problem envisioning the finished article which leads them to be somewhat reticent in their support, particularly financial. My experience also is that once the project gets done then there is a cry as to why it was not done sooner, bigger etc. Examples would be the new Y 10 years ago and
 the Riverrun Centre.

I strongly urge you to give your full support to the assistance from the City being presented.
With the baby boomers approaching all sorts of medical concerns both for hospital resources and hospice we can “kill two birds with one stone” by adding a Residential Hospice to the resources available particularly when so much of the funding is coming from private and personal sources.

I have no doubt that once established donations and funding will not be major problems It is now as we try to get a boost over the inertia that help is needed.

In order to respect your Family Day holiday I have declined to phone you, possibly weakening my entreaty for your support by not having an interactive discussion. I hope that this will not be to the disadvantage of the Hospice case. The excellent Hospice Organisation in Guelph has been planning, organising and fundraising for this for nearly 10 years and now is the time to reward their efforts and perseverance.

I look forward to hearing the outcome and to where the various councillors came out on the topic

Thanks for all you do for Ward 2 and our great City.    G&W C