Hospice reaches final stages of construction following USDA loan

10/11/2011

A $5.7 million USDA Rural Development Loan was recently granted to the city of New Philadelphia, Ohio, for the construction of a Community Hospice building, according to the Times-Reporter.

The funds - combined with more than $3 million from fundraisers and donations - have advanced construction into its final stage. Executive director Norm Mast hopes to start admitting new patients by summer 2012.

"Now (patients) will get 24-hour care from nurses," said Mast. "It is a family setting; there is even a place for families to stay overnight if they wish. Our intent is to have a facility where a family doesn’t have to worry about their loved one."

The site, a former Alzheimer's care center, is 22,000 square feet and will house 12 beds designed for advanced terminally ill patients.

In addition to the USDA loan, fundraisers such as a spaghetti dinner that took place in late September also helped in the construction of the facility, the news source notes in a separate article. The dinner raised $26,652 - $10,000 more than any prior event.