Construction is underway on a renovation and expansion project at Horizon Home Care & Hospice’s in-patient hospice unit at Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital Ozaukee that will both increase sizes of individual rooms and make the unit more inviting and comfortable for hospice patients.
The project, led by Milwaukee-based C.G. Schmidt Inc., will add about 400 square feet to the unit, boosting the space to 13,400 square feet.
Each room will be expanded by about 40 square feet. The renovation and expansion project, funded by a $1 million grant from the Lawlis Family Fund through the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, will also bring more natural lighting into the space and create a new lounge for visitors and families.
Additional amenities funded by the grant include the addition of refrigerators to each room and the addition of an outdoor patio.
“Our goal is for people to have a quality end of life experience, and that involves patients and the patients’ families,” said Mary Haynor, president and chief executive officer of Horizon Home Care & Hospice. “And to that end, our donors and Horizon Home Care & Hospice feel that this expansion and enhancement of our hospice will meet that goal.”
The nonprofit organization aims to move patients into the renovated space by mid-August. The hospice has temporarily relocated its 14 current patients to another wing in the hospital.
“Everything is moving along beautifully,” Haynor said.
The renovated unit will be called the Lawlis Family Hospice.
