A six-bed inpatient hospice facility is under construction in Presque Isle, thanks to a $2.8 million direct loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The Aroostook Hospice Foundation is converting a former MBNA Call Center, which sits on 15 acres of land.
Half of the building is being retrofitted to provide administrative space for the agency that will provide care within the hospice house.
"Construction for the hospice side should be done around the first part of January and we're hoping maybe some time in march to take in our first patient," says Aroostook Hospice Foundation Chairman Rick Duncun.
Duncan says plans include creating an endowment fund to help patients who might not be able to afford hospice care. He says the foundation already has a design for expanding the facility as needed.
The U.S.D.A. says, right now, the closest inpatient hospice care facilities to Presque Isle are about 250 miles away.
