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Grimsby's McNally House Hospice seeking $9.5M in funding for expansion

Executive director Pamela Blackwood said that in its 13 years of operation, McNally House has served more than 1,100 residents
McNally-House-Hospice
McNally House Hospice is planning a major expansion.

In an effort to expand its services, Grimsby’s McNally House Hospice is looking to get help from local municipalities.

As part of its new Life in Every Moment campaign, the hospice centre is looking to raise $9.5 million to expand its facility and increase support programs. Currently, the hospice centre operates with six beds, but hopes to increase to build a new 10-bed care centre and refurbish its current facility as well.

Executive director Pamela Blackwood said that in its 13 years of operation, McNally House has served more than 1,100 residents.

“If you haven't experienced McNally House, there is going to come a time that either a loved one of yours, or someone you know will need the support of McNally House,” Blackwood said. “It would be very hard to say for anybody in west Niagara (that) they haven't known somebody who has been a resident of ours or know of family members that we’ve supported.”

The centre provides care not only for those with life-limiting illnesses and grief counselling services for their families, but bereavement programs for people dealing with death, whether they have a personal connection with the facility or not.

McNally House has placed funding requests with Lincoln council, West Lincoln council, the Niagara regional council and is set to place a request with Grimsby council as well. Each request asked for long term financial commitment by way of yearly payout amount.

So far, Lincoln council is the only municipality to officially agree to a commitment of $115,000 over five years, with a yearly pay out of $23,000.

“Our responsibility isn't just within the walls here at McNally House, our responsibility is to the entire community to support them, where they need the support and where we can meet those needs.”

The addition of 10 beds would mean one bed per 100,000 members of the community, according to Blackwood, who said the original six-bed facility would turn into a day hospice centre as the 10-bed facility would become the predominant full-time residence for those in need. The additional funding would also go toward the continuation of already existing support programs as well as the creation of new ones.