Ontario is partnering with Maison McCulloch Hospice to build more hospice beds, which will provide patients and families in the North with compassionate palliative and end-of-life care closer to home.

John Fraser from Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Health and Long-Term Care said, “Our government is providing more funding for hospices across Ontario. In 2016, we committed to expanding palliative and end-of-life care so that everyone in Ontario can receive high-quality and compassionate care closer to home. Helping hospices to open new beds means more families will benefit.”

Maison McCulloch Hospice is receiving up to 2-million dollars to fund the costs to open 10 new beds.

The expanded Maison McCulloch Hospice will also provide even more patients with an opportunity to live their final days in peace, with dignity, free of pain and surrounded by loved ones.

Gerry Lougheed Junior of the Sudbury Hospice foundation said the expansion is a great addition for the facility and the community should be proud.

"There is also going to be a huge expansion of space so the shared care team that goes into the community are going to have more space. We're going to have an educational room to actually train other nursing people. This is a magnificent 16,000 square feet expansion that will help palliative care in our community.” said Lougheed.

“For a long time Maison McCulloch Hospice has been providing an essential component of care for our community. With this added investment, Maison McCulloch Hospice will have even more opportunities to offer compassion, dignity and comfort to our citizens. This institution continues to lead by example, showing all of us what it means to be generous, caring and compassionate. By continuing to invest in healthcare throughout the province, we are doing more to care for Ontarians at every stage of life.” Said Glenn Thibeault, Sudbury MPP.

This is part of a new program to support the creation of new and expanded hospices across Ontario, which will support more than 2-thousand additional people and their families each year.

The Executive Director of Maison McCulloch Hospice Léo Therrien is very thankful. “On behalf of Maison McCulloch Hospice, I would like to thank the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care for their tremendous support. This funding will benefit those living with, or affected by, serious illness and grief. It will also enable the Hospice to offer ongoing support and training to health care professionals, volunteers, and caregivers who provide this vital care at home and in the community.” He said.

Maison McCulloch Hospice currently has 10 rooms of beds that are supported through provincial funding.

"There will be 4 end of life beds but 6 respite beds. So this means this is the first time in Ontario the respite beds will be built in the residential hospice. That will mean more support for caregivers who take care of their loved ones at home so that we can prevent caregiver burnout, which is a big issue when we take care of our loved ones at home." said Therrien.

The hospice provides unique care in a home-like environment, giving families and friends the space and care they need to be with their loved ones at one of the most vulnerable times in their lives.

Montana McCulloch shares the experience their family received from the hospice. “Once we moved in (the Hospice), we quickly realized it was the best place for my dad to truly live while he was dying. We were able to do so much more with him due to the help we got from the staff and volunteers. Not only did they care for my dad, they were great support for our family – a support we didn’t know we needed but was truly a tremendous help.” said McCulloch.