Te Omanga Hospice Establishes Foundation

14 September 2006

Te Omanga Hospice Establishes Foundation To Help Bridge Funding Gap

Te Omanga Hospice today announced that it has established a Charitable Foundation in order to help bridge a funding gap currently running at $2.3 million a year. The Hospice has been providing care and support to those living with terminal illness in Upper Hutt, Lower Hutt, Wainuiomata and the Eastern Bays since 1979. It also provides care and support in the Wairarapa through its outreach programme based in Masterton.

Mrs Biddy Harford, Te Omanga Hospice’s chief executive says, “We passionately believe that the care and support we provide should be available to all who need it, regardless of their means. However, the annual cost for Te Omanga to provide these services is around $4.4 million, of which only $2.1 million is funded by the Crown through the District Health Boards.”

The Hospice has to fund the shortfall from the communities it serves and is reliant upon the support and generosity of people throughout the Hutt and Wairarapa regions.

The Te Omanga Hospice Foundation, as it will be known, will have no staff or overheads; all the income will be reserved to the Foundation’s endowment fund. The income from the endowment fund will be used to help bridge the gap between District Health Board funding and the actual cost of providing services to patients and their families.”

Foundation Membership will be by invitation.

“With the cost of providing comprehensive care increasing each year, the trustees believe it prudent to establish a Foundation to help safeguard the Hospice’s financial future.

“We are very appreciative of the generosity we have received over the years from the region’s businesses and people, and philanthropic trusts. While we will remain reliant upon their continuing goodwill, the trustees felt it necessary to establish the Foundation in order to provide a further source of funding for the Hospice,” Mrs Harford said.

ENDS

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