Dee Wright, Charity & Events Manager and Michelle Fletcher, Charity Coordinator, The Hospital Saturday Fund, presenting a grant of €13,500 to Louise Quail, Head of Development at Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Ireland.
About Ronald McDonald House Charities
Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Ireland was first granted their licence by RMHC Global in 1997. Ronald McDonald House on the grounds of Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, now known as Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin opened in 2004 and hosts 20 families every night.
The Ronald McDonald House has created a place for families to call home for as long as needed. The house offers fully stocked kitchens, common areas, work desks, Wi-Fi, outdoor play spaces and most importantly communal family spaces where families can spend quality time together. While children are in surgery, the house provides a safe place for the rest of the family to be close by. This is particularly important for the siblings who worry constantly.
Keeping Families Together
The Keeping Families Together Programme is a lifeline for families and is spread across all 32 counties of Ireland, where access to specialised paediatric care may be limited. By providing accommodation, meals, and a supportive environment, RMHC Ireland ensures that families can remain together, and united in their journey towards healing.
The Keeping Families Close Programme is defined as a critical service in the medical care continuum of services. Parents believe their stay at Ronald McDonald House helps them to be more involved in their child’s care. By engaging in a Keeping Families Together programme, parents, children and the extended family feel better equipped and empowered to be an equal partner in a family-centred care approach with their child’s medical team.
Ireland’s Healthcare System
The healthcare system in Ireland does not account for the numerous external costs associated with having a child who is long-term ill in hospital. For example, the financial stress and the physical and emotional well-being of the family of that sick child are not addressed, so this service must be outsourced to a charity. Ronald McDonald House Charity does not receive any government funding.
The Grant
The Hospital Saturday Fund presented a grant of €13,500. The grant will help fund RMHC Keeping Families Together Programme, in Ireland. and will continue to provide families with all the home comforts and support they need to focus on what matters most – family.
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