The SNF Supports the Establishment Pediatric Cancer Center at the SJD Children’s Hospital in Barcelona

On Thursday, October 18th, 2018, the Sant Joan de Déu (SJD) Children’s Hospital in Barcelona held an event to mark the laying of the foundation stone of the new SJD Pediatric Cancer Center.

The new Center, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2020, is made possible with the support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), among others.

The new SJD Pediatric Cancer Center is set to become one of the largest pediatric oncology centers in Europe, with capacity to treat over 400 patients per year, and to be at the forefront of developing new treatments and designing clinical trials. The Sant Joan de Déu Children’s Hospital specializes in maternal and child health, serving as a reference point for child cancer in Spain, and internationally for the treatment of certain types of tumors. The Hospital deals with the highest number of childhood cancer cases in Europe, annually.

The SNF’s decision to support the construction of the Pediatric Cancer Center stemmed from its ongoing and fruitful collaboration with the Barça Foundation. It is through the Barça Foundation, which is also one of the supporters of the new SJD Pediatric Cancer Center, that the SNF learned of the need for a pediatric cancer facility in the SJD Hospital that would improve health care access to disadvantaged children from all over the world.

The event on October 18th brought together all the supporters of the project, including representatives of the SNF and the Barça Foundation, to celebrate the beginning of the construction of the new Center.

In addition, on Saturday, October 20th, 2018 SNF representatives participated in FC Barcelona’s General Assembly meeting.

The SNF has a long-standing collaboration with the Barça Foundation for the implementation of the latter’s FutbolNet methodology programs, which use sports to support refugee and local children in Lebanon, Greece and Italy.