Hospice Home
Ever wondered what a Hospice Home is—or why our community needs one?
This video showcases the kind of warm, supportive facility we hope to build in the Cranbrook area.
Early in 2025, CKHS Chair George Watson and his wife, Judi, visited Cowichan Hospice House on the coast. The wonderful staff at Cowichan Hospice were gracious enough to let them capture photos during their visit. We compiled those pictures into this video to share our vision with all of you!
A huge thank-you to Cowichan Hospice House for opening their doors and inspiring our journey
We are excited to announce plans for a standalone 10-bed hospice home in the Cranbrook Kimberley area. This facility will provide dedicated hospice care, ensuring comfort and support for patients and their families. Client service remains our priority, but we recognize the need for this important project and welcome community supporters and interested groups. Fill out this form to contact us for more information about our plans and how you can support this initiative.
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Cranbrook Kimberley Hospice Home Frequently Asked Questions
Last updated: September 21, 2026
Building a new standard for compassionate end-of-life care in the East Kootenay
At the Cranbrook Kimberley Hospice Society, we believe everyone deserves comfort, dignity, and compassionate care when they need it most.
Our vision is to establish a dedicated, 10-bed Hospice Home for the East Kootenay, providing 24/7 end-of-life care in a peaceful, home-like environment where individuals can receive specialized care while remaining close to the people who matter most to them. We know community members have questions about the Hospice Home, including where it could be located, how it will operate, and what comes next. We have compiled answers to some of the questions we are hearing and will continue to provide information as the project progresses.
About the Hospice Home
A Hospice Home is a warm, home-like setting designed to provide compassionate, 24/7 care for individuals nearing the end of life who can no longer be cared for at home. Unlike an acute-care hospital environment, a Hospice Home is specifically designed around comfort, dignity, and quality of life. It provides specialized care to manage pain and symptoms while creating a peaceful and supportive environment where loved ones can step back from being caregivers and focus on simply being together.
There are currently three designated hospice beds in the Cranbrook Kimberley area, but there is no dedicated, standalone Hospice Home. For families seeking the peaceful, home-like environment of a dedicated Hospice Home, the closest facility is currently in Kelowna, approximately six hours away. A Hospice Home in our region would provide another option for individuals who require end-of-life care and can no longer remain at home, allowing patients and families to remain closer to their community and support networks.
The proposed Hospice Home is being planned as a 10-bed facility. This size is intended to help meet the needs of our region while maintaining the quiet, intimate, and home-like atmosphere that is central to providing personalized and compassionate end-of-life care.
The proposed 10-bed model has been informed by the Society’s research, feasibility planning, and discussions with Interior Health. Through those discussions, the Society received information about the importance of having sufficient capacity to support the financial sustainability of a standalone hospice facility. Based on this information and the Society’s broader planning, a 10-bed Hospice Home is being proposed to provide dedicated end-of-life care for residents throughout the East Kootenay while supporting a sustainable operating model.
The proposed Hospice Home would provide 10 dedicated hospice beds serving the East Kootenay in an environment specifically designed for end-of-life care. The Hospice Home would complement existing palliative and health care services rather than replace them. By providing a dedicated option for people who require end-of-life care but do not require an acute hospital setting, the Hospice Home could also help reduce pressure on acute care beds at East Kootenay Regional Hospital.
Different organizations in the East Kootenay are exploring ways to better support patients and families who need to travel or remain away from home while receiving health care. The proposed Hospice Home has a specific purpose: providing dedicated end-of-life care for palliative patients in a home-like setting. It would also include space and amenities that allow families to spend meaningful time with their loved ones and, where appropriate, stay close to them.
The Cranbrook Kimberley Hospice Society values collaboration with other community and health care organizations and expects those relationships to continue as planning progresses.
Location and Site Selection
No. A final location has not been selected. The City of Cranbrook has identified five City-owned properties for consideration. Our Hospice Home Steering Committee has carefully considered each of these opportunities, with a focus on finding a location that will best support the needs of patients, families, and the proposed facility. Based on our review to date, two City-owned properties remain viable from the Society’s perspective: the Mount Baker RV Campground property and the Highlands property.
The location of a Hospice Home is an important part of creating an appropriate environment for end-of-life care. Our site considerations include:
- accessibility for patients, families, health-care professionals, and emergency services;
- a quiet, peaceful environment appropriate for patients and families;
- sufficient land for the facility, outdoor spaces, parking, and potential future needs;
- appropriate servicing, zoning, and development potential; and
- the ability to meet applicable municipal, healthcare, accessibility, licensing, and building requirements.
These considerations have helped guide our review of potential properties.
Based on our Society’s assessment and the information available to us at this stage, these two properties have the potential to meet the combination of requirements identified for a future Hospice Home. Both remain under consideration and a final site has not been selected.
Our Hospice Home Steering Committee carefully considered each of the five City-owned properties, with a focus on finding a location that will best support the needs of patients, families, care providers, and the proposed facility. Based on the information available and our work to date, the Mount Baker RV Campground and Highlands properties have the potential to meet the combination of requirements identified for a future Hospice Home. The other three properties do not sufficiently meet those requirements.
Our role is to provide residents with clear information about the needs of the proposed Hospice Home and our assessment of the properties being considered. We have identified the Mount Baker RV Campground and Highlands properties as the two City-owned options that remain viable from the Society’s perspective. The City’s survey is part of its public engagement process, and we encourage residents to review the information available and provide their perspectives directly to the City.
Our priority is finding an appropriate location that can support the needs of patients, families, care providers, and the proposed Hospice Home. If neither of the two City-owned properties identified as viable moves forward, our Society would need to consider other potential opportunities as we continue working toward our vision for a dedicated Hospice Home in the East Kootenay.
We recognize the importance of hearing and responding to those questions. At this stage, a final site has not been selected. If a property moves forward for further consideration, more detailed information about the facility and site-specific matters such as access, traffic, parking, landscaping, building design, and other considerations would be developed through subsequent planning, community engagement, and approval processes. We are committed to providing information and listening to community questions as the project progresses.
No. Identifying a property as viable means that, based on the information currently available, it has the potential to meet the requirements of the proposed Hospice Home. Additional due diligence, planning, approvals, agreements, and other work would still be required before a site could be formally confirmed.
The Society is proposing a purpose-built, standalone Hospice Home so the facility can be designed specifically around the needs of patients receiving end-of-life care and the families supporting them. A ground-floor design would make it easier for patients with limited mobility to move throughout the Hospice Home and access outdoor spaces, including gardens and patios. The proposed design would also provide private patient rooms, family and gathering spaces, clinical areas, and the infrastructure required to provide 24/7 care in a comfortable, home-like environment.
The Society has considered existing buildings as part of its planning. However, converting an existing building into a licensed hospice facility can require extensive renovations to meet health care, accessibility, safety, and licensing requirements. A purpose-built facility provides the opportunity to incorporate these requirements into the design from the outset.
Project Timeline and Next Steps
We are currently in the early stages of planning, site selection, and fundraising for the Hospice Home. A project of this scale requires careful preparation, community support, site securement, design, regulatory approvals, fundraising, and construction. For these reasons, we do not yet have a specific opening date. We will continue to share major milestones and timeline updates with the community as the project progresses.
Securing an appropriate property is an important milestone, but it is one part of a much larger process. Once a site is secured, the project can move into subsequent stages, including:
- advancing architectural and site design;
- continuing fundraising efforts;
- securing required municipal and regulatory approvals;
- working with Interior Health Licensing to ensure applicable requirements are met; and
- preparing for construction.
More detailed timelines will be available as these stages progress.
We encourage community members to follow the Cranbrook Kimberley Hospice Society’s social media channels and visit our website for project news and major milestones. You may also contact our office at 250.417.2019.
The Hospice Home Steering Committee was formed in December 2024 and has undertaken significant research and planning to explore what would be required to establish a dedicated Hospice Home for the East Kootenay. Committee members have toured hospice facilities in British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan to learn from existing models and better understand best practices in facility design, accessibility, operations, and creating supportive end-of-life care environments.
Preliminary planning has been completed for a 10-bed facility capable of supporting 24/7 care. The proposed concept includes private patient rooms, clinical areas, family and gathering spaces, a communal kitchen and lounge, and accessible outdoor and garden spaces. The Steering Committee has also developed criteria for evaluating potential sites, including accessibility, proximity to East Kootenay Regional Hospital and other services, sufficient land for the facility, parking and potential future needs, and the ability to provide peaceful outdoor surroundings. The Society is continuing its feasibility, financial, site, and operational planning. Additional information will be shared with the community as that work progresses and key decisions are made.
Funding and Operations
The Hospice Home represents a significant investment in our community, with an estimated project cost of $15 million, covering construction and the first three years of operation. We are grateful to the community donors who support the vision for a dedicated Hospice Home. Our Society anticipates future funding to be supported through a combination of government grants, support from Interior Health Authority, and ongoing community fundraising initiatives.
We are working with Interior Health Authority regarding long-term operational funding for the Hospice Home. Our Society also anticipates continuing its fundraising efforts, including an annual giving campaign, to support the Hospice Home and the services we provide.
The current daily fee established by Interior Health Authority is $49 per day. Individuals who cannot afford the fee may be eligible to apply to the Ministry of Health for a reduction or to have the fee waived.
Yes. Our existing client services, community supports, and volunteer programs remain an important part of the work of our Society. The Hospice Home would expand the continuum of care available in our region by providing a dedicated, 24/7 residential option for individuals when remaining at home is no longer possible.
Preliminary financial planning completed as part of the Society’s feasibility work estimates that a 10-bed Hospice Home could cost approximately $1.6 million annually to operate. Developing a sustainable long-term operating model is an important part of the Society’s ongoing planning. Potential sources of revenue being explored include health authority funding, community fundraising, donations and bequests, patient room and board fees, and other opportunities for ongoing community support.
No funding agreements for the proposed Hospice Home are currently in place with Interior Health. As planning progresses, the Society will continue to explore potential partnerships and funding opportunities while developing a diversified financial model designed to support the Hospice Home over the long term.
The Society’s proposed model is for the Hospice Home to employ its own staff, including the health care professionals required to provide 24/7 hospice care. The financial planning completed to date anticipates that health authority funding would contribute toward these staffing and operating costs. The Society also recognizes the importance of offering competitive compensation to attract and retain qualified health care professionals and has considered wages comparable to those available within the health care system as part of its preliminary planning. The specific roles and responsibilities of the Society and Interior Health, including any funding or service arrangements, have not yet been finalized and would need to be established as planning progresses.
A dedicated Hospice Home for the East Kootenay has been discussed for many years. Previous Boards considered the concept but determined that the Society was not in a position at that time to undertake a project of this scale. The current Board decided to explore the opportunity again and established a Steering Committee to undertake more detailed research into the facility, site, capital requirements, operations, and long-term financial sustainability of a Hospice Home.
An important part of that work is recognizing that building the Hospice Home is only one part of the financial commitment. The Society must also be confident that the facility can be operated sustainably over the long term. Current planning therefore considers a diversified funding model that could include health authority funding, community fundraising, donations and bequests, patient room and board fees, and other sustainable revenue opportunities. The Society is also planning for sufficient operating reserves before the Hospice Home opens, with the goal of having approximately two to three years of anticipated operating requirements accounted for as part of the overall financial plan.
The Society recognizes that ongoing community fundraising will continue to be an important part of operating a Hospice Home. Detailed feasibility and financial planning is continuing before the Society makes final commitments on construction or operations.
Eligibility and Admission
Palliative care focuses on managing symptoms, pain, and quality of life throughout a serious illness, regardless of prognosis. Hospice care is a specific type of palliative care focused on comfort and quality of life for individuals approaching the end of life, typically when curative treatment is no longer the goal.
Admission would be coordinated through the local Palliative Care Program. The process begins with a conversation about care needs with a family physician, nurse practitioner, or existing Palliative Care case manager. To be eligible for admission, an individual must be registered with the local Palliative Care Program.
Patient and Family Experience
Yes. There will be no defined visiting hours. Visitors will be welcome 24/7 to support their loved ones. We believe family members and loved ones are an important part of the care and support surrounding each patient.
Yes. Each patient suite is planned to include comfortable, flexible seating that converts into a bed, allowing a loved one to remain close overnight.
Yes. The proposed facility will include a communal kitchen and family lounge area where loved ones can prepare meals, spend time together, and support one another in a home-like environment.
We understand that pets can be cherished members of a family, and visits from well-behaved dogs and cats are anticipated. To ensure a safe and comfortable environment for everyone, applicable Interior Health guidelines will need to be followed. These currently include requirements that visiting pets:
- are visiting a specific patient;
- are clean and well-groomed;
- are not aggressive, hyperactive, or difficult to control; and
- are supervised and contained by a designated handler at all times, including being on a leash or in a carrier as appropriate.
Handlers will also be responsible for any necessary cleanup, and pets will be required to remain out of common areas.
The Hospice Home is intended to honour and support the diverse spiritual and cultural needs of the people and families it serves. Quiet spaces for reflection will be provided, and visits from spiritual or cultural leaders can be facilitated at the request of patients and families.
Yes. The facility is being planned to meet applicable accessibility standards, including wheelchair-accessible suites, wide doorways, and barrier-free washrooms to support comfort and ease of movement. The facility will also be required to meet applicable Interior Health building and licensing requirements.
Getting Involved
Donations can be made through the Cranbrook Kimberley Hospice Society website or directly through our office. Whether it is a one-time gift or recurring contribution, community support will play an important role in bringing the Hospice Home to life.
Yes. We are always looking for dedicated volunteers to support the work of the Cranbrook Kimberley Hospice Society. To learn more about opportunities related to the Hospice Home initiative or our existing programs, please call 250.417.2019 or email [email protected]
Yes. We welcome community interest in supporting the Hospice Home through third-party fundraising initiatives. For information about organizing or supporting a fundraiser, please contact our office at 250.417.2019 or [email protected]
Have Another Question?
We know a project of this significance will generate questions, and we are committed to providing clear and timely information as planning progresses. For more information about the Hospice Home project, please continue to visit our website and social media channels or contact the Cranbrook Kimberley Hospice Society at 250.417.2019 or [email protected]