Before the pandemic, Partners In Care, a Central Oregon hospice care provider, began fundraising efforts to build a new facility would double its in-patient hospice capacity.

With nearly 20% of the Deschutes County population 65 and older, according to the Portland State University Population Estimate Report, there is a need for more space for end-of-life care.

A capital campaign was planned, with a silent auction, to raise $6 million. But even before the first invitation went out, the 42-year-old nonprofit canceled the event due to governmental mandates restricting gatherings to control the spread of COVID-19.

Now the 20-person campaign council is looking at other measures including a challenge grant to boost its capital campaign to fund the construction of a new Hospice House on the 4.5 acre Bend campus.

Between grants, including a $1 million matching grant from the Tykeson Family Foundation, and other major gifts from individuals, the organization set a goal to raise $6 million of the $12 million construction costs to build a 12-bed patient facility and remodel its administration building, said Eric Alexander, Partners In Care CEO.

“When COVID-19 began to become an issue, we had to decide to continue with our capital campaign or cancel,” Alexander said. “Because we can’t predict the future, we decided to move ahead. We did away with the traditional methods of a campaign. We continued to work through our donor base and solicit funds.”

The Tykeson Family Foundation and Amy Tykeson, a trustee of the foundation, have invested in The Bulletin.

“With the region’s rapid growth, Central Oregon needs expanded facilities to support residents at key stages, including end of life care,” Tykeson said in a prepared statement.

“When we learned about the Hospice House project, we were keen to help inspire others to join us in donating to complete the campaign.”

Construction has already begun on the facility and it will open in the fall. The licensed specialty hospital accepts patients from St. Charles Health System, physicians and other hospice organizations when intensive hospice care is needed. A misconception is that Hospice House is a place people go to die. But only half of the patients actually die there, others return home when their symptoms are managed. A doctor’s order is needed for at-home or in-patient hospice care.

This is the first construction project for the nonprofit organization since 2003, Alexander said. Partners In Care serves Central Oregon and has branch offices in Redmond and La Pine. The bulk of its efforts, however, are with in-home or care facility hospice services. On average, about 220 patients receive services at any point in time. Hospice House is a 24/7 in-patient facility staffed by medical professionals.

“It’s part of the completeness of our program,” Alexander said.

Sandy Garner experienced this first hand when her husband was transferred from St. Charles Bend to Hospice House. Garner was unable to care for her husband at home, and Hospice House served as a great place for his end-of-life care, she said.

The lifelong Bend resident said that because of her experience she made a donation to the campaign and joined the Partners In Care board of directors.

“It was a wonderful experience,” Garner said. “I just couldn’t care for him myself and there was someone there to answer the questions.

“It was the perfect place for him when we knew he was going to pass.”

To donate toward the campaign to build Hospice House, go to the Partners In Care website at www.partnersbend.org/campaign.