Norberto Bunagan assists a patient at the St. John Hospice. Photo: Martin Dee
St. John Hospice opened in September on UBC’s Vancouver campus, providing 14 bedrooms for individuals nearing the end of their lives – as well as a place to educate students about palliative care, and to find ways to improve care for others.
The facility, which provides communal living and dining space, a family room, a garden courtyard and a quiet room for residents and their families, is the only free-standing academic hospice in Canada. The Faculty of Medicine has research and educational space in the lower floor of the two-storey building, located across from the UBC Botanical Garden.
Hospice staff, in conjunction with the Faculty of Medicine, will use the most up-to-date evidence from current research to implement best practices at St. John. In turn, new insights from research conducted at the hospice will be disseminated to health care providers around the province, helping to improve the quality of many British Columbians’ final days.
The hospice also will help teach future health professionals about the special needs of those in palliative care.
“Palliative care is still in its infancy in Canada. It’s still regarded with trepidation by many medical students and experienced physicians, and there is so much we have yet to learn,” said Grady Meneilly, Professor and Head of the Department of Medicine, who spoke at the hospice’s opening ceremony. “We hope St. John Hospice will show future health care professionals that end-of-life care can be some of the most poignant, meaningful work they will ever have a chance to do.”
The Order of St. John Palliative Care Foundation raised approximately $5.4 million for the project, supplemented by $1 million from the B.C. government. Vancouver Coastal Health is providing $1.6 million in annual operational funding to support on-site care delivered by Providence Health Care. UBC donated the land and supported the planning process, with two people – Stephen Owen, the former Vice President for External, Legal and Community Relations, and David Hardwick, the Special Advisor to the Dean for Space Planning and Utilization – playing key roles in moving the project forward.
Within two weeks of its opening, all of the hospice’s patient rooms were filled.
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End-of-life care in Canada: A snapshot
Source: Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association |