A new private care facility in Sidney has been given the green light from the Vancouver Island Health Authority and will be hosting a grand opening and open house next weekend.
Sidney All Care on Mills Road (the old Bethel Church facility) was formally issued its operating license this week from VIHA, along with already having operating permits in place from the Town of Sidney.
Administrator Blake Mooney said he is looking forward to bringing the public into the facility during the open house so they can see what it’s all about.
“It will be nice for the public to be able to see the facility and learn about the scope of care we’ll be providing here,” he said of the event they have planned for July 6.
Mooney and his business partner Casey Van Dongen purchased the property last summer for $11.2 million and have been working to get the facility ready for occupation since.
The centre, which was built in 2009 under the name Bethel Community Baptist Church Care Centre, was the source of much conflict when investors, many of them seniors and members of the Bethel Church congregation, lost millions when the project fell through.
Mooney, a registered nurse who was born and raised on the Saanich Peninsula, said he always dreamed of opening a care facility in the area.
Now, he and his team at Sidney All Care said they are looking forward to opening their doors to the public and filling rooms in the 88-bed, private facility which will provide a range of care.
“There are definitely benefits to a private facility,” noted Terra Munro, the marketing coordinator for the facility.
“We have services that a publicly funded facility might not, for instance, respite care which can be essentially be booked on demand. If someone has a loved one who they care for and they need to go away unexpectedly, we can offer short-term respite care for that individual.”
Munro also added that the facility is physically well-equipped compared to others, with private showers in most of the rooms, a guest suite that can be booked for visiting family members and all the facility’s food made on-site.
“The location is also ideal because there’s so much around like the library and the SHOAL Centre within walking distance, as well as there are other care facilities close by. So, if a resident’s need for care increases, they don’t have to move far [to get into Sidney All Care].”
The grand opening open house event will be held Saturday, July 6 at Sidney All Care (2269 Mills Rd.) from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will feature guided tours, meet and greets with the owners (Mooney and Van Dongen), door prizes and refreshments.
For more information, visit www.allcarecanada.ca or call 778-351-2505.