The Rypien Foundation is giving $3 million to help establish a children’s emergency room within Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center’s emergency department expansion.

 The $18.6 million project will add 24,000 square feet. It serves about 80,000 people a year.

Sacred Heart officials held a groundbreaking ceremony Monday, formally beginning the construction phase, which is scheduled to last about 18 months.

The Rypien foundation was created by Mark Rypien, a former National Football League quarterback who achieved star status by leading the Washington Redskins to a Super Bowl victory in 1992. He began the foundation after losing a three-year-old son to cancer.