Beth Donovan Hospice moves into new office space at Kemptville District Hospital

2023-12-12T04:32:52+00:00News Releases|

As part of its focus on being an integrated health hub for the community, Kemptville District Hospital (KDH) has partnered with Beth Donovan Hospice to offer the palliative care provider new office space at the hospital

MARCH 21, 2012 – On March 21, 2012, Beth Donovan Hospice is moving into repurposed space in the hospital’s former emergency room. The new office space is three times the size of the Hospice’s former premises at 6 Asa Street in Kemptville.

This is a temporary move for the Hospice, as the organization looks forward to expanding its footprint as a tenant in larger quarters on the KDH campus; the end goal is a residential hospice facility offering hospice beds in addition to office space.

Beth Donovan Hospice Executive Director Dawn Rodger (left) and Kemptville Hospital CEO Colin Goodfellow (photo courtesy of Ashley Kulp, EMC-Advance)

Beth Donovan Hospice Executive Director Dawn Rodger (left) and Kemptville Hospital CEO Colin Goodfellow (photo courtesy of Ashley Kulp, EMC-Advance)

Beth Donovan Hospice is a charity committed to providing quality care to palliative individuals in their homes, while enhancing comfort, dignity, choice and quality of life. The Hospice supports clients for the duration of their illness, continuing on with the surviving family with bereavement support. The Hospice serves all members of the community who have a life limiting or terminal illness with no fee for any services.

The Hospice supports palliative clients in their homes with regular visits from caring volunteers, at the same time providing a respite to caregivers. The Hospice enhances this support with a free medical assistive equipment lending program, and by acting as a resource for pain and symptom management through community partners. Spiritual support is provided by the Hospice Chaplain.

Beth Donovan Hospice also offers support to patients newly diagnosed with a life-threatening disease and to their families throughout surgery and/or treatment.

The work of the Beth Donovan Hospice is made possible by its volunteers, who are committed to providing emotional support and companionship to clients and their families. Each of the Hospice’s 48 volunteers is fully screened and receives 30 hours of training before being matched with a client to provide in-home support. Volunteers often develop special relationships with the clients they visit: palliative clients may be able to express thoughts and feelings to volunteers that they don’t want to burden their families with.

A percentage of the Hospice’s funding requirements are provided by the provincial government, with the balance raised through private and in memoriam donations, including those made at the organization’s four annual events: a Fall Extravaganza, a Bowl-A-Thon and Spaghetti Dinner, Hospice Walk, and Butterfly Campaign for Remembrance. Local service clubs – the Knights of Columbus and Masonic Lodge – provide ongoing support.

Dawn Rodger has served as Executive Director of the Beth Donovan Hospice since 2009. She has also acted as coordinator of volunteers since 2008, conducting assessments and pairing volunteers with clients, as well as facilitating training. “We are proud and honoured to be able to help the families who utilize our services,” she states, “and excited about the possibilities that are opening up through our partnership with Kemptville District Hospital.”

Rodger and KDH CEO Colin Goodfellow have developed a mutually supportive working relationship since the informal partnership between their organizations began in 2009. Goodfellow is very pleased with this step: “The hospital’s mission is to build healthier communities and this partnership is part of that. The hospice organization is an exemplary partner and an essential part of an integrated health system.”

The Hospice has also built good relationships with KDH nurses, who will call when a patient is dying in the hospital with no family or friends at the bedside – in such cases the Hospice will send a volunteer to the hospital right away.

In order to bridge service gaps for palliative clients, an important partnership has been developed between Beth Donovan Hospice, the Champlain Community Care Access Centre (CCAC), and Kemptville Hospital. This partnership will work toward bringing additional professional hospice care to the residents of the area. This will include realizing the dream of a residential hospice to provide quality end-of-life care for patients facing a terminal illness. Catherine Van Vliet, Director of Patient Services and Integration for KDH, elaborates: “Together with the Champlain Local Health Integration Network and Hospice Palliative Care Program Council, we are planning the delivery of hospice palliative services for the growing areas of North Grenville and South Ottawa. We are designing a full range of services that builds upon the excellent client care that currently exists in our area.”

About Kemptville District Hospital

Kemptville District Hospital is a fully accredited healthcare facility committed to building healthier communities. We are distinct within the provincial health system as a model of hospital-led integrated health services. We operate on two sites and provide primary care management services, acute care hospital services, advanced orthopaedic care and pride ourselves on being a good partner within the system. Kemptville Hospital consistently ranks among the top hospitals in Ontario for both patient and employee satisfaction.

For further information contact:

Jenny Read, Communications Lead

Tel: 613-258-6133 ext. 223

Email: jread@kdh.on.ca

 

 

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