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Minister for Health announces appointment of Ronald McDonald House Charities as the designated charity partner for the proposed Family Accommodation Unit at the new Children's Hospital

Following today’s Cabinet meeting, the Minister for Health is pleased to announce that Government colleagues accepted his recommendation to designate Ronald McDonald House Charities (Ireland) (RMHC) as the designated charity partner to run the proposed new Family Accommodation Unit at the New Children’s Hospital.

RMHC currently runs the family accommodation unit in a purpose-built, Ronald McDonald House in Crumlin, supporting the needs of families attending Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital. Since opening in 2004, the Crumlin House has provided accommodation to over 4,200 families. RMHC has a proven track record in providing family accommodation service and are part of RMHC Global, which currently operates in 64 countries.

RMHC funds all running costs of the current House in Crumlin from charitable donations and will undertake to do the same at the new FAU close to the new children’s hospital at the St James’ Hospital campus.

The Minister welcomes the contribution of €10 million by RMHC towards the construction of the new facility in Rialto and the ongoing fundraising for its running costs. RMHC will work with the HSE and the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board to inform the design and tender for construction of the new facility to ensure that it is available at the same time as the new hospital. RMHC will continue its ongoing relationship with Children’s Health Ireland to support patents and their families during their stay in hospital.

The Minister would like to acknowledge and thank RMHC for its continued contribution to paediatric healthcare in Ireland through the provision of accommodation for families during a child's stay in Our Lady's Children Hospital, and its longstanding support for the development of the new children’s hospital.

 

Minister Donnelly said: "The Ronald McDonald House Charity provides an extremely valuable service to the families of sick children and adolescents in its purpose-built facility on the campus of Our Lady's Hospital Crumlin. The provision of this accommodation for families of sick children means the family can stay together, with the sick child, close to the hospital care and medical community their child needs. The importance and value of this service for the new children’s hospital is recognised and I very much welcome that the Charity will continue and expand on this work into the future when services transition from Crumlin to the new hospital.”

 

ENDS NOTES TO EDITORS

  • Ronald McDonald House Charity is the world’s leading organisation specialising in providing dedicated accommodation for the families of seriously ill children
  • There are over 376 Ronald McDonald Houses worldwide, supporting families in 90% of the world’s leading children’s hospitals
  • The proposed family accommodation unit will have 53 family bedrooms across 4 floors on a site across the piazza from the front doors of the new children’s hospital
  • The proposed new facility will complement the 380 individual, ensuite inpatient bedrooms in the new hospital, each of which will include a bed for a parent or guardian
  • The family accommodation unit will provide families with specially designed family, rest and play areas, providing families with the highest standard of accommodation, and with intimate living areas to protect the privacy of family life
  • RMHC expects to care for 800 families every year in the new facility.
  • RMHC will continue to care for 20 families every night at the House in Crumlin until the New Children’s Hospital opens.