Cancer advocacy group targets $3.8m for 14-bed hospice

The Barbados Association for Cancer Advocacy has set an initial target of $3.8m to build a 14-bed hospice, as families continue to rely mainly on home-based care for terminally ill relatives.

Chairperson Jessica Odle-Baril told Barbados TODAY the association has raised $250 000 in seed funding towards the proposed facility, although the final construction cost could rise as building expenses increase.

“The numbers float and float,” Odle-Baril said. “We started, based on average-squarefoot of a 14-bed hospice, $3 million. But every month, building costs in Barbados [are] going up, so we, I believe, have to adjust our numbers based on… when the actuary does our accountant will do that to see if we really—I hope we don’t have to go as far as $5 million.”