The A. Bosch Foundation, the Aladina Foundation, the Small Foundation, and the Vall d'Hebrón University Hospital in Barcelona have announced an agreement to carry out a project for the conditioning and humanization of the hospital's pediatric oncology space. This initiative is budgeted at 6.17 million euros, which are now expected to be raised thanks to the involvement of these three entities, which will seek the complicity of the public.
A space of more than 2,600 square meters will be rehabilitated, allowing for larger rooms with more privacy, as well as more spacious common areas and new outdoor spaces for patients with the idea of helping to reduce their stress and improve their mood.
The remodeling project is divided into several areas: pediatric, with 13 individual rooms; adolescent area, with 7 individual rooms; transplant area, and common rest areas, such as a children's play area, space for adolescents, space for parents, dining room, a classroom, and a new gym, in addition to a large outdoor terrace, currently non-existent. Priority will be given to a large amount of light entering all these rooms to promote the emotional well-being of the patients.
Vall d'Hebrón Hospital is a national and international reference center for sarcomas, neuroblastoma, and hematopoietic transplantation, with 1,375 performed to date since 1984. In the Pediatric Oncology and Hematology Day Hospital, up to 3,600 visits per year are attended for treatment and up to 7,600 visits for consultations. These data position the Barcelona hospital as an international medical reference, but the pediatric oncology facilities have become obsolete.
The A. Bosch Foundation, promoted by the Noel food group, was created in 2004, and aims to promote research into biomedical, medical, and surgical solutions for childhood diseases, especially cancer. On the other hand, the Aladina Foundation seeks to offer emotional, psychological, and material support to children with cancer and their families.
Finally, the Small Foundation was born in December 2007 after a personal experience of the founders. This foundation focuses its efforts on raising funds from private sources to try to improve any aspect of the lives of sick children and their families.
It is expected that the remodeling works of the space will begin in May 2022 and be finished in January 2024, according to current forecasts. In the new space, a large amount of light will be prioritized, an element that will play a very important role in common areas and new treatment zones.
"Current treatments require many patients to spend long stays in the hospital. Our facilities have become outdated and we need to make a big leap to be on par with the best international centers. If together we manage to carry out the transformation presented today, it will allow the medical excellence and care of the hospital to be joined by the joy of light, harmonious and efficient spaces, and accessible rest and leisure areas. All this so that the periods of hospitalization for children and adolescents with cancer and their caregivers and family members are as welcoming as possible," says the Head of the Pediatric Oncology and Hematology Service of Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, Dr. Lucas Moreno.