New Service Provides Home From Home For Patients

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
1 April 2009

New Service Provides Home From Home For Patients
 
The Cancer Society is increasing its services for patients from rural communities who need a welcoming and supportive place to stay while undergoing cancer treatment in Christchurch.
 
Today the Canterbury West Coast division of the Cancer Society become the new owners of the 23-unit motel complex known as the Chelsea Wing, part of Scenic Circle's Cotswold Hotel at 91 Papanui Road, Christchurch.
 
The transaction takes place 11 years to the day since the opening of Davidson House, the Society's home-away-from-home for cancer patients at 263 Cambridge Terrace.
 
At 98-percent occupancy rates, Davidson House has been 'home' to 3970 patients from West Coast, North and South Canterbury, Nelson and Marlborough regions in the past 10 years, while during this time the Society has needed to find accommodation for a further 3038 patients in suitable motels nearby. 
 
Elizabeth Chesterman, Chief Executive of the Society's Canterbury West Coast division says the rising costs of placing patients in motels has been a key factor in the decision to purchase additional accommodation.
 
The new facility - to be named Daffodil House - will more than double the Society's capacity to provide a warm and welcoming environment for patients who need to stay in the city for extended periods during the course of their treatment.
 
"I feel I may have viewed every motel complex on the market in the vicinity during the past year. We knew immediately that these 23 self-contained units - with minor renovations - would be perfect for the needs of visiting patients,' she says.
 
Renovated by Scenic Circle just two years ago, the motel complex comprises 21 one-bedroom units, one two-bedroom and one studio unit, each with its own kitchen and bathroom. Only minor modifications are needed to replace the old laundry with a reception area and a guest lounge - a space where patients can mingle and share experiences. External modifications will involve installing new doors to the reception area and a canopy to provide shelter above the entrance.
 
'Thanks to the advances in medical treatment, many patients require shorter-stay accommodation,' says Peter Davidson, Chairman of the Society's Canterbury West Coast division. 'It is exciting to be able to offer this additional accommodation with appropriate support in an almost purpose-designed facility.
 
Unlike Davidson House, for which the Society embarked on a $3.6 million capital development and fundraising campaign, the Society has not had to actively fundraise this time, however donations towards the cost of renovations, furnishings and ongoing operations would be gratefully received.
 
'Whether it has been through extraordinary support for a Relay for Life event in Timaru, a donation in a bucket in Greymouth on Daffodil day, or a bequest to the Cancer Society in a will, we have been in a position to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity because of the generosity of people in Canterbury and West Coast regions.'
 
'The financial management of the Division over the years has ensured that funds donated to the Society have been used wisely. This has meant that, when the opportunity arrived, we were in a position to purchase this property at a good price. We thank the people of Canterbury and the West Coast for their generosity in allowing this to happen.'
 
The Cancer Society will formally open the new Daffodil House at the beginning of June, although some patients are likely to begin their stay in the new facility next week.
 
Ends
 

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