“Wake up and smell the nappies.”
Sister Leigh from the Edenvale Care Centre Hospice has had to take the tough decision to refuse further admissions into the centre due to a lack of funding.
Without much-needed funding from the community, the care centre could face closure.
“We find that the community will gladly support organisations which do not fall in the area, but they forget what they have in their own front garden,” Leigh said.
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On Wednesday last week, the care centre had less than R4 000 in its account and many of the staff members had not been paid their full salaries for the month.
Following a heartfelt appeal on Facebook, funds started trickling in on Thursday, but it would in no way sustain the care centre for any long-term duration.
As the last remaining government hospice on the East Rand, the Edenvale Care Centre Hospice provides a vital service to those who are not only terminally ill but also unable to seek expensive alternative care.
While the care centre regularly receives financial support, more than half of its financial funding is sourced from corporates, small businesses and individuals.
The critical care provided by Leigh and her dedicated team of nurses in the 13-bed care centre and hospice is known around Gauteng as the best.
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Leigh receives patients from across Gauteng, including from other hospice organisations.
“We need to make it clear that the centre is receiving donations from our long-term donors, many of who have trusted the care of their loved family members to the centre but we need the community to step up and help us.
“I need the community to look after me. I hate asking for help, but if you don’t ask, you might never get. I need the community to keep me alive. They know I run a government-funded facility,” said Leigh.
“I need to pay my staff. My nurses work 12-hour shifts looking after a big disease profile from cancer and TB to Aids and even kidney and heart failure. I would be nothing without my staff,” said Leigh.
“This year alone we have seen an increase in the intake of cancer patients. More cancer patients mean more expensive medication. Medication we need to pay for from our tiny budget,” she said.
“What will happen to these people if we have to close our doors? Where will they go? I will never let this place go, over my dead body will I close this hospice, but I need the community to help me. We are desperate for funding.”
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Leigh reminded the residents she not only looks after members of poorer communities.
“We have taken in countless patients from Edenvale who needed care in their last days. Families who have grown up in Edenvale have sent me their dying mothers and fathers for pain control,” she said.
The Edenvale Care Centre Hospice is a registered non-profit organisation and all donations qualify for tax deductions.
For more information or to find out how to donate contact the centre on 011 454 5358.
Banking details: Edenvale Care Centre Bank: First National Bank Acc no: 62122086821 Branch code: 25065500
