Scale back project, don’t abandon it

The declining American economy will cause many changes in the lives of all of us in the years to come. Some of the most needed humanitarian projects will be delayed or abandoned. According to a Jan. 2 front page Herald article, the long anticipated construction of a Providence Hospice facility for those who need hospital care at the end has been put on hold. The nearest such facility is located in Kirkland.

Instead of canceling this very worthwhile project, why not scale it down? The current plan, as projected, involves a 20-bed facility with a $10 million price tag (that’s half a million per bed). Has anyone considered a less costly facility?

Would a large older home with several bedrooms to accommodate five or six beds work? Would a utilitarian, no-frills building with room for expansion work? Is there someone out there willing to organize such an effort?

Everett volunteers could organize a countywide effort to launch a grassroots program. There are wonderful volunteers out there — from school children to professionals.

This is a project very near and dear to my heart. In the last two years our family has learned the hard way just how wonderful the hospice organization is. In 2007, in New York City, our beloved youngest daughter and her husband died within five weeks of each other, with cancer. In 2008, a lovely woman, our much loved niece, died in Bellevue, also with cancer. All were gently cared for under the auspices of hospice. Now my 90-year-old husband has hospice care.

The staff at Hospice of Snohomish County give tender, loving care to some 1,700 grateful patients annually. It would be wonderful if some of the families who have personally experienced Hospice expertise would take action, and encourage others to work on this much-needed project.

EDITH BENNETT

Everett