The foundation stone for a new housing complex for the relatives of patients at the forthcoming National Children’s Hospital in Dublin has been placed. The Ronald McDonald House plans to accommodate up to 52 families, marking a significant 160 per cent rise from the present capacity at the existing Children’s Health Ireland, Crumlin (CHI) hospital.
Stephen Donnelly, the Health Minister, officiated the groundbreaking event for the project, which is anticipated to be finished by Q3 of the next year. The housing scheme will comprise shared amenities including bedrooms, a common kitchen, lounge areas, play areas, reading rooms, laundry facilities, and outdoor spaces.
Donnelly celebrated the project’s launch as a “key advancement in the development of the new children’s hospital.” Providing accommodation for families significantly reduces stress and worry during a highly emotional and tense period for children and their parents or caregivers, he noted.
Bernard Gloster, CEO of HSE, acknowledged that the proximity of this new accommodation, along with the subterranean corridor linked to the new children’s hospital, ensures families have immediate access to their children when required at the new hospital.
Marian Carroll, chairwoman of the Ronald McDonald House, a non-profit sector of McDonald’s, confirmed that their facility at Crumlin had “delivered lodging, care, and support for over 5,000 families from all over Ireland.” She projected that in the new Ronald McDonald House, they can provide greater capacity and offer comfort, solace, and a home-like environment to more families during their tough times, increasing their annual capacity from 300 families to up to 800.
Anti-obesity expert, Dr Donal O’Shea expressed reservations about the appropriateness of associating a fast food firm’s charity with a children’s hospital project, given the significant problem of childhood obesity. Sick children’s parents, though, argue that having access to accommodation at Crumlin greatly benefited them, including Rose Marie O’Loughlin, whose seven-year-old son received treatment at the hospital.
“Darragh’s birth took place in Wexford General Hospital, where it quickly became apparent that he required supplementary assistance and, as a result, was transported via ambulance to CHI Crumlin,” his mother recounted.
“When Darragh reached the tender age of two days, he was subjected to his foremost investigative cath lab procedure and tabled for open heart surgery. Our dwelling was distant, we were petrified, and nothing of this had been predicted. We were able to secure accommodation at the Ronald McDonald House, and it’s challenging to express the significant impact this had on us. Given we had two more kids back at home, having a chamber in the House allowed us to retain our unity, enjoy a meal jointly, get some downtime in the playroom, and make hospital visits.”