Has county council thrown a wrench into plans to open a palliative care hospice designed to serve both Elgin County and the City of St. Thomas?
At its January 28th meeting, county council resolved to support the Elgin Hospice Group through non-financial measures but declined to offer monetary support.
In a letter to St. Joseph’s Health Care Society – which will own the hospice, Warden Dave Mennill noted council made the very difficult decision not to use the property tax base to support a non-mandatory health care service. However, Mennill says all of the players have scheduled a meeting next month to discuss available options.
Mennill advised there may be an option in 2023 once the county completes its financial obligation supporting the Great Expansion at St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital.
County council’s stand casts a shadow of doubt over a claim made by Laura Sherwood, director of hospice partnerships with St. Joseph’s Health Care Society, that there is already a community commitment from two major donors totalling $2 million, contingent on financial support from the city and county.
St. Thomas city council has not yet indicated whether they will support the Hospice for Elgin financially. Funding for the facility was not included in this year’s budget.
