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| Welcome to Dr. Bob’s Place – A Hospice for Children |
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| The Board of Trustees of the Joseph Richey House Inc. unanimously approved the architectural plan for Dr. Bob’s Place -- a Hospice for Children at their regular Board meeting September 6, 2005. This $4.5 million dollar facility will be the first hospice for children on the East Coast of the United States. Dr. Bob’s will be located at 838 North Eutaw Street near Joseph Richey House in downtown Baltimore. Dr. Bob’s will provide 10 private rooms, as well as beautiful public rooms and play areas. When complete, the 20,800 square foot facility will offer full hospice services to children, as well as providing hospice services to children at home. | ||
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| The Joseph Richey Board has authorized a fund raising campaign to start immediately. The goal: to raise $4 million so that construction may begin. The hospice already has on a hand a promise to give from the City of Baltimore’s Office of Homeless Services of $200,000 and a Maryland State Bond Bill championed by State Senator Verna Jones, of $200,000. | ||
| End Of Life Care for Children is an unmet need. | ||
| Need for this
facility and hospice homecare services for children was addressed last
fall at the Maryland Pediatric Palliative Care Summit, presented by
staff and families served from the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center’s
Harriet Lane Compassionate Care Program, October 14, 2004. The summit
produced a report “Challenges and Opportunities to Improve Pediatric
Palliative Care in Maryland.”
The summit reported: “Of the 44,000 people who die each year in the State of Maryland fewer than 1000 are children.” The summit paper cites state records. “In 2002, 898 children died, 62% under one year of age, While unintentional injury is the primary cause of death for all children 0-18 years of age, cancer ranks second for children 1-14 and congenital malformation ranks second for children under 1 year of age, third for children 1-4 years of age and third, following heart disease, for children 5-9 years of age ….In 2002, African-American infants died at 2.4 times the rate of white infants in Maryland…. Most child death occurs within the state’s major metropolitan areas. Nearly half occur in the Baltimore Metro region.” Joseph Richey staff is
confident that Dr. Bob’s Place will meet all eight recommendations,
made by the ‘04 summit. First and foremost is the need to develop the
best means possible to alleviate end of life pain. National studies
show over 85% of dying children have great pain in their final weeks of
life. |
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| The First Phase of Dr. Bob’s was complete June 2003 | ||
| Joseph Richey Hospice completed the first phase of the Dr. Bob’s project, the administrative office, at a cost of $778,723 in the summer of 2003. The Middendorf Foundation, Inc. provided two generous grants totaling $220,000, to acquire three buildings and two lots for the combined office-pediatric project to get the ball rolling, The France-Merrick Foundation provided a $100,000 challenge grant, and the All Saints Sisters of the Poor, co-sponsor of Joseph Richey Hospice, provided a $400,000 loan to complete the office. | ||
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| Figure 1: The shaded area represents the footprint for Dr. Bob’s Place. To the upper left is Martin Luther King Boulevard and on the right is North Eutaw Street | ||
| Making a Dream Come True | ||
| Now it is time for Phase II.
Currently, the hospice has $880,000 in hand, including a $200,000 grant
from the Middendorf Foundation,a $200,000 State Bond Bill, $200,000
from the City of Baltimore Office of Homeless Services, a $50,000 grant
from The Castle Rock Foundation, $30,000 from the William G. Baker Jr.
Memorial Fund, $10,000 from Mercantile Safe Deposit and Trust
Corporation Foundation, $14,000 from the Bowes Family Foundation
$30,000 from an Anonymous Donor, $4000 from the St. Agnes Foundation
and a $4,000 grant from the Church of the Redeemer. Individual donors
for Dr. Bob’s, including many pediatricians, have contributed over
$140,000 toward the project. The Joseph Richey Board has committed
$163,400 of available funds for Dr Bob’s architectural design services.
When complete the renovated offices will be fully integral to the Dr.
Bob’s Place facility. Our goal is to raise $3.5 million dollars by the
Spring of 2007 so construction can begin. Dr. Bob’s is named for the
late Dr. Robert Irwin, a much beloved local pediatrician who served as
the volunteer co-medical director of Joseph Richey Hospice from its
inception until his untimely death November 1, 2000. A pediatric
hospice was his fondest dream, and one that was incorporated in the
Joseph Richey mission from our beginning.
His goal was simple, to
provide real comfort to children and their families supporting them
through a difficult journey. “Dr. Bob was a champion when it came to
kids”, recalls Ruth E. Eger, Executive Director of Joseph Richey
Hospice. “He agonized over the need to provide comfort as well as hope
to dying children and their families. He was so sure that a pediatric
hospice facility would make a difference. I wish he was here to see
these plans.” |
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| Figure
2: North Eutaw Street Façade of Dr. Bob’s Place |
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| Figure
3: Drawing of the first floor for Dr. Bob’s Place. Entry to Dr. Bob’s
will be from the front on North Eutaw Street and off the alley on the
south side –which leads to the parking lot. Food and housekeeping
services at Dr. Bob’s will be provided by Joseph Richey House. Game and
living rooms, family dining room and school room are among the features
of the main floor. |
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| Figure 4: Drawing of the second floor for Dr. Bob’s. The plan shows six patient rooms and a Nurses Station. The hospice offices are at the front of the building on North Eutaw Street. A patio next to the elevator gives our residents an opportunity to step outside for fresh air. Each patient room has a private bath, and room to accommodate family members who may wish to stay overnight | ||
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| Figure 5: Drawing of the third floor for Dr Bob’s Place, including four patient care rooms, a patio, a play room and Nurses substation. Joseph Richey Hospice Administrative Offices are located at the front of the Building (North Eutaw Street) | ||
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| Figure 6 The lower level of Dr. Bob’s will include maintenance, equipment areas, a laundry, pantry, and adequate file storage for both Dr. Bob’s and for Joseph Richey Hospice. | ||
| We Need Your Help! | ||
| Your donations will
help us make this dream a reality. Every gift no matter the size is
important. Joseph Richey Hospice, and its subsidiary Dr. Bob’s Place,
is a non-profit organization. All gifts are tax deductible.
Please make your
check payable to: Dr. Bob’s Place |
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| click here | ||
