rfmcdonald | [URBAN NOTE] "The Case for Keeping Casey House in the Neighbourhood" (Reply)

At Torontoist, Lisa Cumming describes the latest changes to hit Casey House, an HIV/AIDS hospice and hospital.

For almost 30 years, Casey House has provided care to Torontonians living with HIV/AIDS, home care, and other supportive healthcare programs. For some patients, it has been a home away from home when they needed the support most. Although it will remain in the neighbourhood, the hospital is going to move.

The change in location was driven by one goal: to expand the services and care offered to patients.

At its new site, a 58,000-square-foot facility adjacent to Casey House’s existing location, a new day health program will be launched, offering wound care, hot lunches, massage therapy, physiotherapy, antiretroviral therapy support, and connections to places like Fife House, where a patient can get peer and housing support.

Construction of the facility is scheduled to be substantially completed by December 2016 with occupancy commencing late 2016 to early 2017.

“We’re fortunate in that [the old building] is just across the street and that we’re able to continue to see it—that was part of our plan as well,” said Lisa McDonald, the spokesperson for Casey House. “We didn’t want to sell that building and have it torn down and it be used for condos or anything like that.”

Casey House is currently located at 9 Huntley Street, and while the new facility is a mere 97 metres away, at 571 Jarvis, it’s the site of a heritage property known as the “Grey Lady.”