Affinity Credit Union provided a $50,000 boost to the new Estevan Regional Nursing Home committee on Dec. 18.
With the support, Affinity Credit Union purchased the naming rights to a new palliative care room in the new nursing home, once it is constructed.
More than $8 million has already been raised form the community, which meets the 20 per cent threshold set by the provincial government for the new nursing home.
The entire project is estimated to cost $40 million and needs approval from the provincial government before it can receive the green light.
“The community has already raised $8 million and this $50,000 will be added to that sum,” said Pauline Ziehl Grimsrud, who sits as a member of the board of directors for Affinity Credit Union.
The money raised so far is being treated as a large investment portfolio and as such it is growing every day, even as the committee waits to receive the green light from the provincial government to proceed.
“The reason why we selected the nursing home to receive the funding is because we felt that a palliative care room would be great … to have and also be beneficial for the community,” said Grimsrud. “The nursing home did not apply for the specific amount shown here today but we chose as a group where we wanted our charity funding to go.”
The palliative care area will have multiple units where family can stay, and the idea is to give people who are palliative a private area for them and their family.
“The room is designed to have a place for people to pass away peacefully surrounded by their loved ones,” said Grimsrud. “Many of us on the district council have dealt with the loss of grandparents and parents and having a room like this is a comfort to a individual who is passing away.”
Vern Buck, who is the co-chair of the new regional nursing home committee, noted the committee had a letter that was circulated in the community and signed by hundreds of people to remind the provincial government that people in the community want to see the nursing home constructed.
Buck is hopeful the new nursing home will be included in the provincial budget next year.
