"We are delighted and grateful that the council has decided in favour of the Maria&Martha Hospice despite the tight budget situation and is supporting the project to this extent," emphasizes Gesa Kitschke, Managing Director of Diakonie Altholstein, and adds: "With these funds and thanks to the funding of our project by the state of Schleswig-Holstein, we are confident that construction of the hospice can begin in late summer 2025."
The Maria&Martha Hospice will close a gap in care and offer people with a life-limiting illness a final home close to home. Here they can live independently until the last moment, feel safe and secure and know they are well cared for. "Comparable inpatient hospice care has so far only been available in Kiel, Gettorf or Rendsburg, which is perceived as very stressful for the patients and their relatives due to the distance," explains Gesa Kitschke.
Dependent on support
"The planned hospice offers an important addition to the care of seriously ill and dying people and their relatives in Neumünster. I am delighted that the project is now becoming a reality thanks to the city's commitment and our state funding. In order to make the funding sum of 250,000 euros possible despite tight budgets, we have provided an additional 110,000 euros from residual funds. This was an important political decision to enable the project and thus the necessary help and support for affected people in and around Neumünster," emphasizes Social Minister Aminata Touré.
The donors who support the project with small and large donations have also made a significant contribution to the fact that the start of construction can now be planned in concrete terms. Gesa Kitschke emphasizes: "The encouragement and support we are receiving here once again underlines the need in the region." At the same time, she points out that the project will remain dependent on donations in the long term, as inpatient hospice care is not fully funded by the payers. The payers only cover 95 percent of the costs incurred, meaning that five percent has to be financed by donations each year.
Further information on the project and how to donate:www.maria-martha-hospiz.de