“It is with a particular emotion that I come to lay the foundation stone of this establishment, and I am very happy about it. The Claude Pompidou Institute must embody versatility, with the aim of being a model against Alzheimer’s disease,” announced Bernadette Chirac, President of the foundation.
It was during a visit to Nice in 2004 that Claude Pompidou decided to create a center dedicated to this disease. “The choice of Nice was obvious because the University Hospital Center (CHU) has a highly regarded medical team whose geriatric, neurological, and psychiatric components are recognized nationally and internationally,” explained Bernadette Chirac. She wished to continue with a tribute to her predecessor Mrs. Pompidou by citing this famous phrase from Descartes, so often spoken by the woman who made helping the sick and the most deprived her life’s great battle: “To be of no use to anyone is to be good for nothing.”
The laying of the foundation stone of the institute thus took place on the historic site of the Dabray Foundation [[Former Hospice then contemporary art center, now decommissioned and owned by the CHU. It was once bequeathed to the city of Nice by Séraphin Dabray]] in Nice, at 10 rue Molière.
This project, in harmony with the national and departmental Alzheimer’s plan, is characterized by specific architecture designed by Azurian architect Marc Barani.
The total amount of expenses planned for the construction of the center is 23,728,813 euros. Generous subsidies were provided by the Claude Pompidou Foundation itself [[10 million euros]] as well as by the department, the State-Region plan, and the National Solidarity Fund for Autonomy (CNSA).
Alarmingly High Numbers
It is impossible to discuss this disease without recalling these alarming numbers: 860,000 people in France are affected, and 225,000 new cases occur each year. In the Alpes-Maritimes, 18,000 people suffer from the disease. This department is particularly affected by population aging: 22% of its inhabitants are over 65 years old.
Located in the heart of the Azurian city, this center’s primary goal is information. However, it must also guide and treat patients, as well as detect the disease and develop clinical research. The new premises of the Nice institute will be operational by 2011. They will allow for accommodation of 72 beds as well as a day center with 19 places [[at a rate of 51€ per day]]. They will also house the clinical research facilities and the Memory and Research Center of the Nice CHU. “By symbolically laying the first stone, the Pompidou Foundation and the Nice Hospital Center express their wish to act together,” recalled Mrs. Chirac.
