Muiriosa Foundation is a voluntary health organisation. The DOH&C, through HSE publicly fund the operational cost of the service. Muiriosa Foundation operate in over thirty separate locations, with the main centres located in Monasterevin, County Kildare, and Delvin, County Westmeath, with other centres in Naas, Kildare, Rathangan, Portarlington, Portlaoise, Abbeyleix, Stradbally, Tullamore, Birr, Mullingar and Athboy, Co Meath.
The Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary is an international religious order, founded in Lovendegem Belgium C. 1804 by Cannon P.J. Triest. The order operates in the field of healthcare and education. It first established a base in Ireland in 1946 at Moore Abbey, Monasterevin, Co Kildare, initially to provide medical services to women who suffered from epilepsy.
On January 1st 2012, Sisters of Charity of Jesus & Mary Services formally changed to limited liability company status in the name of Muiriosa Foundation.
Moore Abbey is currently the Irish Headquarters of the Muiriosa Foundation. The Muiriosa Foundation provides services in the midlands. Since its foundation the main growth of activities and services has been in the midland region with the provision of an extensive variety of services to people of all ages with an intellectual disability, but catering mainly for people at the moderate, severe/profound level of disability.
Muiriosa Foundation now employs approximately 1400 staff, provides residential and day services to over 500 people and an advisory service to a further 300 people and their families. The annual operational budget is approximately €70 million
While our origins lie in the traditional, care-oriented model of service delivery, we have in recent years been working intentionally to promote a view of the person with an intellectual disability as a participating citizen in society, participation embedded within a broad range of roles and relationships.
This has triggered a fundamental questioning of the assumptions and attitudes we have traditionally drawn on and worked from. The net effect has been to shift the core question from what kind of service should we be? to how can we be of service to people so that they get to lead the life they want for themselves,a life on their own terms? The shift from getting a a service to having a good life, a life on one's own terms is crucial - and one with which we were struggling (doggedly and creatively, we hope).
The Muiriosa Foundation is a limited liability company with a registered charity number with full governance responsibility for the services. The Board of Directors of the Muiriosa Foundation have full responsibility for overseeing all aspects of the service.
Chairperson: Mr Jim O'Brien
Directors: Mr Tommy Breen, Mr Brendan Broderick, Ms Mary Culliton, Mr Francis Donnelly,
Ms Annemarie Loughran, Ms Molly O'Keefe, Ms Kate Quinlan, Ven Leslie Stevenson, Ms. Maureen Windel