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JANUARY 14
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2021
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Delta urges province to prevent ‘sabotage’ of Delta Hospice from society board Council writes letter to Health Ministry and FHA amid ongoing controversy SANDOR GYARMATI
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The Fraser Health Authority has the right to take over operations at Delta Hospice. That’s what Mayor George Harvie said as he read from a letter, written by Delta council, at Monday’s council meeting, that will be sent to Health Minister Adrian Dix and health region CEO Dr. Victoria Lee. Opposed to offering medical assistance in dying (MAiD), and set to lose its provincial funding Feb. 25, the Delta Hospice Society board last Friday said it had no choice but to issue layoffs to employees at the 10-bed Irene Thomas Hospice in Ladner. Harvie said the lease and service agreement between the FHA and the Delta Hospice Society will terminate, but the health region is entitled to take over the hospice residence to continue hospice and palliative care services. Delta council is urging the FHA to exercise that right, said Harvie. “We understand that due to the current legal stance of the Delta Hospice Society, there may be a disruption for Delta residents who are seeking access to services at the Irene Thomas Hospice,” said Harvie. “This would be a very disruptive time for Delta residents who worked so hard and contributed
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Health Minister Adrian Dix announced last February that the province has given the leadership of Delta Hospice 365 days’ notice that the society will no longer receive funding or be permitted to provide palliative care. funding that provided Delta their own community-based hospice facility. “Should the current Delta Hospice Society cause a disruption in service, we would strongly request the ministry provide interim hospice beds in provincial health care facilities located in
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Delta in order to allow Delta residents to continue to access critical services in their own community.” The city is imploring the health region to rehire hospice staff laid off by the current board,” said Harvie. “It is incredibly unfortunate that the
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current Delta Hospice Society board is determined to sabotage opportunities for Delta residents to have hospice services in their community. It is vital that steps be taken to ensure that special interest groups do not have the ability to remove beds from our community hospice facility ever again,” he added. In a news release issued to society membership and members of the media last Friday morning, the current society board stated it regrets taking the layoff action. The board also stated it accepts that the provision of MAiD is an elective, legal service, however, nothing in Canadian law requires medically assisted death to be made available everywhere, including their private society. The move has drawn angry reaction from the community as well as the Thomas and Savage families, major donors who helped get the hospice facility built a decade ago. Health Minister Adrian Dix last February announced the society would lose its funding but also promised hospice services would continue in Delta. Fraser Health said it has tried repeatedly to work with the society’s board on a transition plan. See more on this story on our website at: www.delta-optimist.com (under the News tab on the home page).
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