MISSION, B.C. -- A Fraser Valley community is rallying to ensure services at a hospice aren’t jeopardized.

Mission Hospice Society, which which provides comfort services at the Christine Morrison Hospice on the third floor of Mission Memorial Hospital, is worried it could lose beds. The society wants assurances from Fraser Health that won’t happen.

The society’s executive director says the concern began with a call from Fraser Health, during which the health authority indicated it intended to temporarily take five of the hospice’s 10 beds for medical overflow patients.

“I expressed my concerns with that because medical care and hospice care are two completely separate things,” Angel Elias told CTV News Vancouver. “As well, we’re on a slippery slope. Once Fraser Health starts using and utilizing those beds for medical (purposes) …there will be another excuse of why they need to use them instead of allowing them back for hospice use.”

An online petition against the change has already collected thousands of signatures. 

Among those supporting the hospice is the family of Barbara Bates.

Bates died four years ago, but her family hasn’t forgotten the care she received in the Christine Morrison Hospice.

“When you walk on that floor, the feeling of love and compassion is overwhelming and it’s something that you just can’t find in the chaos of the medical floor,” said Bates’ grandson, Cory Cassel.

Her granddaughter, Christine Kerr, says her “nan” started on the second floor of the hospital in a medical ward and it was a tough time.

“She was not able to relax,” Kerr said. “When we moved up to the hospice care, it was night and day.”

Elias says Fraser Health has since backed down, but won’t guarantee the hospice will be able to keep its beds in the future.

“I did ask if they could please give me some reassurance that we weren’t going to be faced with this in another month’s time and the answer was, ‘We don’t know what the future holds,’” said Elias.

In an email to CTV News, Fraser Health said, in part:

“At this time, all hospice beds at Mission Memorial Hospital continue to serve hospice patients … Fraser Health routinely reviews its services and hospital capacity to meet the needs of our communities. This includes seeing where under-utilized beds are available.”

Elias admits the hospice hasn’t been at capacity recently, but says it’s to be expected, in part because many people at the end of their lives do all they can to stay home for the holidays when possible.

“Our beds are usually full. End-of-life care and death and dying doesn’t have a timeline,” said Elias.

“We know that those 10 beds are needed critically for the end-of-life care for people in this community,” added Cassel.

Kerr says the hospice not only provided comfort and care for her grandmother, but even arranged for them to have a last, cherished large family dinner together.

“The fabric of our community really needs to include beginning-to-end-of-life care,” she said.