PROGRAMS

The Ronald McDonald House Program 

The idea behind the Ronald McDonald House is simple:  Provide a "Home away from Home" for families of seriously ill children receiving treatment at nearby hospitals.

Some children must travel great distances to get medical attention.  In-hospital treatment may last one week, one month or longer.  For these children's families, accommodations can be hard to come by.  Options are often limited to costly hotels or uncomfortable hospital chairs and benches.

The Ronald McDonald House provides a comfortable, supportive alternative.  It serves as a temporary residence near the medical facility where family members can sleep, eat, relax and find support from other families in similar situations.  In return, families are asked to make a donation ranging on average from $5 to $20 per day, but if that isn't possible, their stay is free.

Ronald McDonald Family Room Program:  A Haven Within the Hospital   

The Ronald McDonald Family Room extends the comfort of a Ronald McDonald House to a hospital setting.  Typically located just steps from neonatal and pediatric intensive care units, the Family Room provides a place to escape the stress and tension of the hospital.  Families of critically ill children can use the Ronald McDonald Family Room to rest, take showers, grab a bite to eat and even do laundry. 

Ronald McDonald Care Mobile Program:  Bringing Care Where It's Needed Most      

This year, hundreds of thousands of children will go without immunizations and routine physical exams.  Pregnant teens will go without prenatal care they need.  And every day, asthma and minor health problems will go undiagnosed until they become acute - when they will be more difficult and more expensive to treat.

Ronald McDonald House Charities is working to change this.  In an effort to provide access to health care for underserved children, Ronald McDonald House Charities has created the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile program.

Through relationships with local healthcare providers, the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile program brings cost effective, high-quality medical, dental and health education services directly to underserved children in both rural and urban areas around the world.

The program helps reduce reliance on expensive and inappropriate health resources, such as hospital emergency departments, and it provides continuity of care by providing follow-up services and referrals to a primary care physician, dentist or pediatric subspecialist.  The program also helps eligible families enroll in federally-assisted health insurance programs such as "Insure Kids Now."

All services are provided in a 40-foot, 26,000 pound, state-of-the-art vehicle built specifically for delivering pediatric healthcare services.  Each vehicle includes two patient exam rooms, a laboratory, a reception and medical records areas.  Depending on specific community needs, services may include:

     Primary care                                                                              Well-child visits                       

     Developmental screening                                                     Preventive, diagnostic and restorative dental care

     Diagnosis and treatment of chronic disease                 Immunizations

     Hygiene and health education                                            Mental health services                          

     Pulmonary function testing                                                 Prenatal care for pregnant teens

     Asthma prevention & treatment                                        School and sports physicals                 

     Injury prevention education                                               Nutrition counseling                              

     Pediatric cardiology & ENT services