New hospice to improve end-of-life care for Sunshine Coast residents

Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) and the Sunshine Coast Hospice Society (Coast Hospice) are pleased to announce the first dedicated hospice on the Sunshine Coast, which will feature eight beds, family meeting spaces and a sacred space.

The new facility will be owned by the Sunshine Coast Hospice Society and managed by VCH to provide compassionate, end-of-life care to terminally ill patients while enabling them and their loved ones to spend time in a quiet, home-like setting on the Sunshine Coast. The new site is currently in the process of being acquired and additional details will be shared once finalized.

“The new hospice will provide palliative and supportive services for individuals and their families,” said Dr. Peter Edmunds, Senior Medical Director, VCH Coastal Community of Care. “We are grateful for the community support and leadership shown by Sunshine Coast Hospice Society our partners in helping provide this important form of care.”

Hospice palliative care is a key component of any program for those approaching end-of-life. The goal is to relieve pain and other symptoms, as well as to enhance the quality of remaining life in a community setting.

Currently, VCH is supporting the temporary provision of four hospice rooms at the recently opened Silverstone Care Centre in Sechelt. The new residential hospice, to be owned by Coast Hospice, will help improve end-of-life care for residents and their families in the community for generations to come.

“We are very pleased to be partnering with Vancouver Coastal Health to bring improved hospice care to our community. We look forward to creating a new, purpose-designed hospice with a home-like environment, to meet the growing need for end-of-life care within our community,” stated Ellen Adelberg, President of the Sunshine Coast Hospice Society Board of Directors.

The total cost of the project is expected to be $6 million, with VCH and Coast Hospice each contributing $3 million. The new hospice is expected to be ready for occupancy in 2026. The four hospice beds at Silverstone Care Centre will continue to operate until the new hospice is ready to welcome patients.