First Hospice Residence in North York Toronto breaks ground
News Release
Neshama Hospice to strengthen end-of-life care in Ontario, providing a home like environment for families and their loved ones
November 8, 2024 (Toronto, Ontario) – Health-care professionals and elected officials joined the members of the Neshama Hospice Board of Directors and major donors in a ceremony to mark Neshama Hospice groundbreaking today in the Bathurst and Wilson neighbourhood in Toronto. Founded by the Jewish community, and open to all Ontarians at no cost as part of the public health-care system, when completed the new 12-bed Hospice will provide exemplary end-of-life care for approximately 250 patients a year and their families and loved ones.
At Neshama’s groundbreaking event November 8, 2024. L-R: James Pasternak, Toronto City Councillor for York Centre, The Hon. Michael Kerzner, Solicitor General of Ontario, MPP for York Centre with Mindy Herman, Board Chair, Lisa Kronenberg, Executive Director and Dr. Sandy Buchman, Medical Advisor of Neshama Hospice (Photo credit @MPPKerzner).
“Most Canadians say they prefer to die at home, but in the North York region, most people die in hospitals. Residential hospices are an alternative when dying at home is not possible. They provide patients with a home-like environment, and 24/7 care that treats the whole person, physically, emotionally and spiritually as well as provides a compassionate, comfortable environment for them to be close to their loved ones,” says Lisa Kronenberg, Neshama’s Executive Director.
Currently there are limited residential hospice facilities for the general population in Toronto and none in North York. Neshama Hospice will provide an important resource to redirect patients who are unable to be at home, but who want to be in a supportive, peaceful, compassionate and home-like environment, surrounded by their loved ones and offered the highest standard of clinical care. “A project of this nature will have a positive transformational effect on the seniors and others who reside here. It aligns with the Toronto Seniors Strategy and our city’s vision as a place of higher purpose which gives back to the older generations who have built Toronto,” says James Pasternak, Toronto City Councillor for York Centre.
An important part of Ontario’s publicly funded health-care system, hospice residences support efficient use of health-care dollars, by redirecting end-of-life patients to a more appropriate setting which is one third of the cost of an acute care bed. “Today marks a new chapter in our community’s care. As the local MPP for York Centre who championed Neshama Hospice with the full support of the Ontario Government, Premier Doug Ford and Minister Sylvia Jones. I am delighted and proud to be here today at the groundbreaking of Neshama Hospice where those who are facing end of life care are treated with compassion and dignity, where every moment with family and friends can make a meaningful difference,” says The Hon. Michael Kerzner, Solicitor General of Ontario, MPP for York Centre.
End-of-life care at Neshama Hospice will be provided by a community of physicians, nurses, allied health care providers, health-care administrators, spiritual leaders and volunteers working together to deliver integrated care that addresses individual needs of patients and families. Each hospice patient will have a private room, washroom and outdoor patio with space for family and loved ones to stay as long as they want.
In addition to high-quality care for hospice patients, Neshama Hospice will provide counselling and emotional supports for families and caregivers. Amenity spaces include a large room for social gatherings, children play area, individual and family counselling rooms, meeting space for health teams, a spiritual room and a landscaped private garden and green areas for individual meditation or social gatherings.
Neshama Hospice will also provide culturally sensitive amenities for the Jewish community, like a kosher kitchen and sabbath accessibility, and that same consideration around cultural sensitivity will be extended to all Ontarians.
“Dying is a physical, psychological, emotional, spiritual and social experience. Neshama Hospice will take a holistic approach to end-of-life care addressing all these domains of human suffering at the end of life as well as for their family and caregivers” said Dr. Sandy Buchman, medical advisor for Neshama Hospice and Medical Director of The Freeman Centre for Advancement of Palliative Care at North York General Hospital.
Artist rendering of Neshama Hospice (credit: Hilditch Architect Inc.)
Construction for Neshama Hospice is mostly funded through philanthropy from Toronto’s Jewish community with support from the Ontario Ministry of Health, who will also provide operational funding once Neshama opens its doors. Thanks to a major philanthropic gift by the Ganz Family Foundation, the building will be named the Ganz Family Building
“We are incredibly grateful to the visionary founders, donors and volunteers who have given so much of themselves to ensure that everyone has access to a dignified and compassionate end-of-life journey in our community, said Mindy Herman, Chair of the Board, Neshama Hospice.
Every detail of Neshama Hospice has been planned for the comfort and privacy of the patient and their loved ones. The architecture for Neshama Hospice was designed by Hilditch Architect Inc. and includes a masonry façade and soft landscaping, to provide a residential atmosphere. The interior spaces are designed by local residential designer, Stacey Cohen Design. The construction will be managed by CBRE and Renokrew and anticipated completion is Fall 2026. For more information visit neshamahospice.com.
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