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05/10/2009 - Lenihan unveils foundation stone for new Hospice in Blanchardstown
Minister for Finance, Brian Lenihan T.D., today unveiled a foundation stone for St. Francis Hospice's new hospice in Blanchardstown, officially marking the commencement of construction of the €23m project. At the ceremony in Blanchardstown Shopping Centre, Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin andthe Archdeacon of Dublin David Pierpointcarried out a joint ecumenical blessing of the stone. On completion in 2011, the 10,250 Sq.M facility will provide a full range of palliative care services in the West Dublin community.
During the ceremony St. Francis Hospice thanked the local community for their overwhelming support in helping fund the project, but emphasized that further fundraising would be needed to complete it.
Speaking at the event, The Minister for Finance said, “Today is a very positive step forward in the continued development of our palliative care services in Ireland. The new hospice will be a great asset to the West Dublin community, and will enable St. Francis Hospice to reach more people in need of care. The project is an excellent example of people working together and the spirit of volunteerism which is still alive in Ireland today. It is noteworthy that the people of Dublin 15 themselves raised €3.7m towards the building cost which is €19.4m. They should take a bow today and I would urge any other donors to come forward and support this vitally needed project. I commend St. Francis Hospice, its management, staff, volunteers and board members, for the valuable service they provide in their community and for their significant contribution to palliative care in Ireland.”
Construction of the new state of the art Blanchardstown facility began in July this year and will be completed by January 2011. Once fully operational, it will greatly enhance St. Francis Hospice's ability to provide palliative care in the West Dublin area, which has been provided solely by St. Francis Hospice Raheny since 1989. Offering a wide range of palliative care services, the hospice will operate 24 single room in-patient beds, a full range of therapies such as complementary therapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapy, a hospice day care, and education and conference facilities. It will also provide a base for the St. Francis Community Palliative Care Team currently working in the Dublin West area.
Speaking at the ceremony, The Hon. Mr. Justice Peter Kelly, Chairman of St. Francis Hospice, said, “The construction of our new Blanchardstown facility is crucial to expanding the range of specialist palliative care services we can provide in the West Dublin area. The addition of 24 new in-patient beds will more than double the current number of beds we have available at our Raheny hospice and will greatly help reduce waiting lists for our in-patient services. Our goal is to ensure that each patient in need of our services can readily access them. Once the new facility is completed we will be well positioned to meet the needs of this local community in West Dublin.”
The construction and equipping of the new Blanchardstown hospice will cost €23m in total, with €19.4m required for its construction cost and the remaining €3.6m contributing to the fitting out of the facility. Through the ongoing efforts of the Dublin 15 Hospice Fundraising Committee, a substantial sum of €3.7M has been raised to date.
Ms Ethel McKenna, Chief Executive Officer, St. Francis Hospice said, “Due to the current financial climate, capital funding is not available from the Government and we are therefore very dependent on the ongoing support of the wider community to help assist the Hospice in meeting the costs of the project. I would like to take this opportunity to praise the generosity of those who have contributed to our cause in the past and to add that any further financial support would be very much appreciated.”
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