Many families travel far from home to get treatment for their seriously ill or injured children. Often, it can be a long time to be away from home, or to divide a family. And, for children facing a serious medical crisis, nothing seems scarier than not having their mom and dad close by for love and support.
The Ronald McDonald House program provides a “home-away-from-home” for families so they can stay close by their hospitalized child at little or no cost. The Houses are built on the simple idea that nothing else should matter when a family is focused on healing their child – not where they can afford to stay, where they will get their next meal or where they will lay their head at night to rest. When a child is hospitalized the love and support of family is as powerful as the strongest medicine prescribed.
Allow Families to Face the Weight of Illness Together:
Families are stronger when they are together, which helps in the healing process. By staying at a Ronald McDonald House, parents also can better communicate with their child’s medical team and keep up with complicated treatment plans when needed. They can also focus on the health of their child, rather than grocery shopping, cleaning or cooking meals.
Allow Children to Get the Best Care:
When your child is sick, you want the best care possible – even if it is hundreds or thousands of miles away. The Ronald McDonald House allows families to access specialized medical treatment by providing a place to stay at little or sometimes no cost.
Services for Families:
At every House, families can enjoy:
- Home-cooked meals
- Private bedrooms
- Playrooms for children
Depending on the House, these services may also be available:
- Special suites for children with suppressed immune systems
- Accredited education programs
- Recreational activities
- Non-clinical support services
- Sibling support services
The generosity of volunteers and donors make it all possible. In return, families either stay at no cost or are asked to make a donation up to $25 per day, depending on the house. The RMHC Global Policy is that families are never turned away; if its not possible to pay, the fee is waived.
Find a Ronald McDonald House through a local Chapter
Find RMHC Chapters, Ronald McDonald Houses, Ronald McDonald Care Mobiles or Ronald McDonald Family Rooms in 53 countries around the world. Get in touch with them to learn more about volunteer opportunities in your community.
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