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Opinion: Ball back in Delta Hospice’s court

The showdown was inevitable so I can only assume they’ve got a plan.
hospice
The million-dollar question, quite literally, is what’s their next move?

The showdown was inevitable so I can only assume they’ve got a plan.

For three years now Fraser Health has been biding its time, waiting patiently for the Delta Hospice Society to get with the program and begin offering Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) at the Irene Thomas Hospice in Ladner. The health region got what it wanted last month when, a week before Delta Hospice’s annual general meeting, the board approved MAiD, a decision that was quickly reversed by a new group of board members elected at the aforementioned AGM.

Repealing the decision sent a clear signal to Fraser Health that the new leadership at Delta Hospice wasn’t interested in providing MAiD, which prompted the health region to equally as quickly give the local non-profit a formal notice of its concerns. Health Minister Adrian Dix has also weighed in, saying there would be consequences should Delta Hospice not get on board, inferring that the more than $1 million in annual funding from Fraser Health would disappear.

None of this comes as a surprise and has brought us to a predictable fork in the road, one that those who oppose MAiD being offered at Delta Hospice knew they would reach. The million-dollar question, quite literally, is what’s their next move?

If they stand firm and Fraser Health plays its funding card, the non-profit would find itself staring at a massive hole in its budget. Does it look for other revenue streams to plug it? Perhaps a wealthy benefactor who holds similar values? What about scaling back services?

There aren’t any easy answers, a situation that’s further complicated by the fact the society’s position on MAiD is at odds with public sentiment. It would be difficult to fundraise for a cause when a significant portion of the population has taken up residence on the other side.

The hospice society has every right to take the position it has, but, as Dix said, that stance comes with consequences, ones that were well known, so it would stand to reason there’s a contingency plan in place. At least you hope there would be.

The new board president has been tough to track down so it’s difficult to know their next move, but it looks like they’ll be required to play it in the very near future.