Taking care of a sick or injured child receiving medical treatment can create a lot of worry and fear. Whatever the reason is that brought you to our doorstep – we know it’s a challenging time for you and your family.
Staying at Ronald McDonald House
Who can stay at Ronald McDonald House?
Ronald McDonald House Charities Newfoundland and Labrador provides essential services that remove barriers, strengthen families and promote healing when children need healthcare. We offer accommodations in a welcoming atmosphere for families who have children receiving medical attention in St. John’s. RMHC NL is conveniently located within a 5 minute walk of the Janeway Children’s Hospital.
During your stay, we want our home to feel as much like your home as possible, but with the added benefit of a community – made up of staff, volunteers and other families and children going through a similar time.
So, as you walk the halls, pace the floors and come and go – take comfort in knowing the coffee is fresh, the home-cooked meals and cookies are made especially for you and there is always someone close by ready to hear about your day.
While staying at Ronald McDonald House. We truly hope you feel comfortable, safe and supported.
Who can stay with us?
A. Family members whose child/patient is receiving healthcare (regardless of medical condition) at the children’s hospital or another medical facility in the St. John’s area.
B. The child/family must live at least 80 kilometres away from Ronald McDonald House.
C. All individuals staying at Ronald McDonald House must be actively involved in the child’s hospital routine unless they are other children in the family.
Waitlist
Families are added to the wait list the day they require a room. We are happy to accept post-dated referrals and applications. However, we receive referrals daily and can never really know what each day will bring. Families are placed in priority sequence first by inpatient, then by outpatient care, then by clinic visit. We then prioritize by distance, with families living furthest away being the highest priority. The priority list may change daily as new families are referred to Ronald McDonald House.
If you are requesting accommodations – a medical referral must be completed. You can find more information on the referral process here: Referral Process
Frequently Asked Questions?
What can you expect at RMHC NL?
- 24-7 Operational Family Services Front desk
- Communal Living Environment
- Family Support Programs
- A Fully equipped kitchen with plenty of space for preparing meals
- 15 Bedrooms with 2 queen size beds, private washrooms, and fully stocked with linens and towels
- Laundry Facilities
- Resource Center
- Children play areas
- Family Time Movie Theatre
- Home Office
- Access to Wireless Internet
- Wheelchair accessible
- Family Time Park
- Non-Smoking/Scent aware
- We kindly suggest a contribution of $15.00 per night to help with the cost of running and maintaining the House. However, please know that no family will ever be turned away if they’re unable to contribute.
- Proof of appointment(s) will be required for all outpatient stays. Please have the treating physician provide this during the clinic visit and present it to a member of the Families Services team before check out.
A full image gallery of Ronald McDonald House Newfoundland and Labrador can be found on our Facebook page. www.facebook.com/rmhnl
http://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.519475871400416.139282.165581890123151&type=3
More Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
‘Home-away-from-home’ is not just a catch phrase but an accurate description of just how warm and inviting the House can be. It has earned that reputation due to its comfortable and attractive surroundings. Rooms are tastefully furnished, each with its own private bathroom. In-room amenities include: -two queen size beds, smart TV’s equipped with cable, wifi, telephones and small refrigerators. There is ample space throughout the House for families to feel at home in, with a large fully-equipped kitchen, dining, laundry and living areas for shared use.
Our modern kitchen has everything needed for families to prepare nutritious meals for themselves and their family. Coffee, tea, milk, and a variety of non-perishable and perishable foods are normally available.
The House is accessible to those using wheelchairs or with mobility challenges. Playroom, a library, a movie theatre and an outdoor park complete with beautiful landscaping are a few more of the amenities that can be expected at the House.
The Comforts of Home
Ronald McDonald House House helps to provide relief to families going through very difficult times by providing all the comforts of home while taking care of the “little things”, so that parents can spend more time caring for the most important thing… their child needing healthcare.
Available Amenities
Kitchen and Food Services: A fully equipped kitchen is available where families can choose to prepare meals. Each family is provided with their own cupboard and refrigerator storage container to keep food they have brought from home or purchased during their stay. Many staples such as spices, sugar, etc. are kept on hand in the House for guest use and there is also a cupboard of non-perishable items like soups, pasta and sauces, etc. that guest families can help themselves to. Coffee, tea, milk, and baked goods are provided by generous suppliers and volunteers.
As a special treat, home cooked meals are also provided from time to time thanks to volunteer groups that come into the House to prepare dinner. This popular program, called Home for Dinner Program, is offered three times each week.
Linens: Fresh linen and towels are provided by volunteers and staff for your convenience at arrival but guests are asked to launder their linens if needed to during their stay.
Office Hours: The Reception area is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Guests are welcome to drop by the Reception or the Director of Family and Volunteer Services office with their questions, concerns or requests and the caring staff and/or volunteers will do their best to assist them.
The check-in hours are normally between 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Exceptional circumstances can be discussed with the Director of Family and Volunteer Services to see if alternate arrangements can be made. The check-in process for first time families takes about forty minutes. Upon arrival, you will be welcomed by a Family Services Staff member who will welcome you, review our communal living Standards and Expectation, introduce you to our programs and services and provide you with a full tour of our House.
Check-out time is 10:00 a.m. We will store your belongings until you are ready to depart. In order to serve as many families as possible, it is important to know the number of rooms that will be available so guests are asked to tell staff when they will be leaving as soon as they know.
Ronald McDonald House is located at 150 Clinch Crescent which is only a five-minute walk to the Janeway Children’s Hospital. This level of convenience enables families to spend more time together while their child heals.
We understand that visits from family and friends are important to our guests at Ronald McDonald House. To ensure the comfort, safety, and privacy of all families staying at the House, we kindly ask that the following visitation guidelines be observed:
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Please limit the number of visitors at any one time.
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Visiting hours are from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
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All visitors must sign in at reception and confirm they are free of illness and have not recently been exposed to any infectious diseases.
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Visitors must be accompanied by a registered guest at all times
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To respect the privacy of all families, visitors are asked not to tour the House or enter guest bedrooms.
Each Family will have access to one parking spot while staying at Ronald McDonald House, free of charge.
Just like in your own home, there are some Standards and Expectations that ensure the comfort and safety of all guests during their stay. These will be reviewed in their entirety with you upon check-in. These are to name a few:
• As long as you qualify for medical purposes, there will not be a limit placed on your stay.
• At least one of the adults using the room must be a parent or primary care-giver of the patient. Each room is designed to comfortably accommodate four guests, with a maximum capacity of five people.
• All guests must be registered to your room. Any additional guests must be approved in advance, go through the registration process, and must not exceed the room’s maximum occupancy limit.
• Children under the age of 19 cannot be left at Ronald McDonald House without an adult. Children under the age of 12 must be directly supervised and with a parent/guardian at all times.
• Guest families are asked to clean up after themselves (and their children) as well as help maintain the common areas while in the House. This helps to keep the costs of operating the House low in order to maintain affordability.
• Guests who show symptoms of a contagious illness (Cough, nasal congestion, sore throat) will be asked to find alternate accommodations in an effort to protect our young, immune compromised house guests.
• Quiet hours are observed between 9PM and 8AM
• To ensure a clean and healthy environment for all our guests, Ronald McDonald House and its surrounding property is completely smoke-free.
• There are no weapons, alcohol, or restricted substances permitted in Ronald McDonald House or on the premises at any time.
• Only trained service animals are permitted.
• Parking is provided within Ronald McDonald House gated parking lot with one space per family – no exceptions.
• This is a communal living environment and guests are asked to respect the privacy of other families and not disclose confidential information.
Our goal is to create a warm, safe, and respectful space where families, volunteers and staff feel supported and comfortable. With everyone doing their part, Ronald McDonald House will remain a safe and comfortable place for families whose child is receiving medical care. It is recognized however that Ronald McDonald House may not meet the needs and expectations of every family.
While each Ronald McDonald House shares a common mission of providing essential services that remove barriers, strengthen families and promote healing when children need health care, each house is independently operated by a charitable organization. While Ronald McDonald House receives financial and in-kind support from its founding and forever corporate partner McDonald’s, it is ultimately a community house. Ronald McDonald House Charities Newfoundland and Labrador relies entirely on the support from individual donors, businesses, foundations and annual fundraising activities to ensure that its programs and services are offered to families each year.
Your donation will enable Ronald McDonald House to provide a caring and supportive environment for families who have a sick or injured child. Whether they have a newborn in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, a child in need of surgery, an injured teenager receiving pediatric care, or a child undergoing cancer treatment, Ronald McDonald House is there for them. We suggest a contribution of $15 per family per night, though no family is ever turned away due to inability to pay. The actual cost to host a family is approximately $279 per night.
