St. John Hospice patient, family & visitor guide
An overview for patients, families and visitors of St. John Hospice.
Welcome to St. John Hospice. St. John is a 14-bed hospice with a home-like setting and 24-hour nursing care. We offer supportive end-of-life care for people with life-limiting illnesses. All patients must be referred by their health care provider.
Administration hours
- Sunday: Closed
- Monday: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
- Tuesday: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
- Wednesday: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
- Thursday: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
- Friday: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
- Saturday: Closed
Visiting hours
We operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Family and friends are welcome to visit at any time.
About this location
At St. John Hospice, our goal is to help you live as well as you can for as long as you can. We are committed to providing compassionate care that maintains your dignity and supports both you and your family. We are located at UBC and operated by Providence Health Care staff. We have a team of experienced care providers, including nurses, doctors, social workers and a pastoral care provider, as well as a large group of volunteers to provide extra support.
Our story
When St. John Hospice opened in 2013, we become the first community hospice on Vancouver’s West Side. We now serve people from across Vancouver. Our residence is situated among the scenic views of the UBC campus and across the street from the UBC Botanical Garden.
St. John Hospice evolved from the Marion Hospice at Windermere Care Centre. The Vancouver Commandery of the Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaller and the Order of St. John Palliative Care Foundation, in partnership with Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, Providence Health Care and UBC, established the building, furnishings and landscaping.
St. John is unique in that UBC’s Faculty of Medicine has dedicated space in the facility for researchers investigating best practices for end-of-life care, and for the training of health professionals.
About the building
In the home-like setting of the Hospice, residents and visitors can enjoy a dining room, family room, living room and quiet room, as well as selected pieces of fine art and dedicated access to the Botanical Garden.
Strengthening palliative care in BC
With better understanding and training of caregivers, more people living in B.C. will be able to experience loving, quality care in their final days. Something that makes St. John Hospice unique is our role in strengthening palliative care knowledge and practices throughout the province.
Hospice staff, in conjunction with members of the UBC Faculty of Medicine, respectively collect general data behind the scenes that will be used to develop innovative, multidisciplinary palliative care practices.
This hospice is positioned to help train nurses and doctors about the special treatment and needs of those in palliative care. While participation is entirely in the control of the resident. If you or your loved ones have questions, please get in touch with your care team.
Who is eligible?
St. John Hospice accepts residents through the Palliative Care Benefits Program, part of BC’s MSP program. All patients must be referred by your family physician, homecare nurse, Home Hospice Team and/or medical teams in an acute care setting such as a hospital. Please ask your Palliative Health Care Provider to assist with the hospice admission process.
Referrals
All referrals are processed through the Palliative Access Line (PAL) Clinical Coordinator at 604-263-7255. Referrals should be faxed with the required completed paperwork to PAL at 604-872-7270. If you need a referral to a hospice but do not meet the criteria outlined above, contact your Palliative Care Consult Service, the Vancouver Home Hospice Program, at 604-742-4010 to review and support a hospice admission.
Volunteering at St. John Hospice
If you are interested in volunteering at the hospice, you must have first completed four months of volunteering at another PHC site before you can apply for a role at the hospice. Once accepted, you must successfully complete a 26-hour Palliative/Hospice training course (offered once a year only).
Get more information about volunteering at a Providence site
Ways to support us
You can help in many ways, such as making a gift in memory or in honour of someone special or making a secure online donation. See below for more ways to give, or contact us at 604-682-2938 or admin@sosjvancouver.org to discuss other ways of supporting the St. John Hospice.
What is palliative care?
Living well until end of life
Hospice palliative care aims to relieve suffering, while improving the quality of living and dying. If you would like more information about hospice palliative care services in your area, or help in starting a conversation about hospice palliative care with a loved one, please visit Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association.