Joseph Richey Hospice

This $4.6 million dollar facility will be the first hospice for children in Maryland. Dr. Bob’s will be located at 838 North Eutaw Street near Joseph Richey House in downtown Baltimore. Dr. Bob’s Place 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.


End Of Life Care for Children is an unmet need.

Need for this facility and hospice homecare services for children was addressed at the Maryland Pediatric Palliative Care Summit, presented by Johns Hopkins Children’s Center’s Harriet Lane Compassionate Care Program. 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 recent state records showing that in a typical one year period, 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 …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 summit. First and foremost is the need to develop the best means to alleviate end of life pain. National studies show over 85% of dying children have great pain in their final weeks of life.


Making a Dream Come True

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 Catherine Frome, Head Nurse of Joseph Richey Hospice. “He agonized over the need to provide comfort as well as hope to dying children and their families. He was confident that a pediatric hospice facility would make a difference. I wish he was here to see these plans.”

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 wholly owned project Dr. Bob’s Place, is a non-profit organization. All gifts are tax deductible.

Where We Are Now Our fund raising has reached our base goal. We are currently building Dr. Bob's!

We will keep you up to date with news and photos of the construction on this website.

To donate to Dr. Bob's, Please make your check payable to:
Dr. Bob’s Place
And Mail your contributions to:
838 North Eutaw Street
Baltimore Maryland 21201

Also you may donate online by following our link to Donate Now! below

Dear Readers:
Please help us to furnish and euip Dr. Bob's Place.
Naming rights are available to those who contribute all of the funds for the
items marked with an asterisk (*). Recognition of gifts for non-asterisk
items of over $5,000.00 will be recorded on the donor wall


In Kind: contributions of themed wall decorations throughout the facility. (We seek artist's conception of children's themes and execution of projects chosen.) Living/media room @ $7,500* Dining room @7,500* Reception area and closed circuit security system @ $10,000* 10 Patient rooms @ $20,000 each* 2 Play areas on the second and third floor @ $20,000* 1 Exterior play area and park $50,000* 1 Exterior walled garden $65,000* 1 Generator $65,000*