Ryan Grants Illinois First Funds to Help Palliative Carecenter

SPRINGFIELD - Governor George H. Ryan today released $1 million in Illinois FIRST funds to buy land for the construction of a new home for the Palliative CareCenter and Hospice of the North Shore, a non-profit organization that provides medical and specialized counseling services to a wide variety of people.

"From the beginning, one of the main missions of Illinois FIRST has been to improve the quality of life for people throughout our state," Ryan said. "A new home for the Palliative CareCenter will help many families receive the care and services they need at critical and difficult stages in their lives."

The organization provides a wide array of services for people in Chicago's northern suburbs through working relationships with 13 area hospitals, 80 long-term care facilities and more than 50 physicians. Palliative CareCenter operates a hospice, a care center for critically ill children, home care services, consulting, counseling and education programs. The organization is geared to help people and families dealing with the challenges of aging, serious illness, dying or grief.

With the grant, the agency will purchase a four-acre site in Glenview for a 50,000 square-foot building that will consolidate the organization's programs and administrative offices. The organization estimates that approximately 1,000 people per day will benefit from the construction of a new headquarters.

Illinois FIRST funds for the construction of this project are generated through the sale of state bonds. By law, proceeds from the sale of bonds cannot be used for general state operations.