From Department of Health
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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."