Ronald McDonald Family Room Expands Services At Fairview Hospital

The Fabien family visits the Ronald McDonald Family Room at Cleveland Clinic Fairview

Provides 24-Hour Respite to Families of Pediatric Patients

Cleveland Clinic Fairview Hospital boasts a 26-bed Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) capable of caring for the most premature or critically ill babies, a 24-bed Pediatric Inpatient Unit and a 13-bed Inpatient Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit. In many cases, families of these patients are simply unable to leave the hospital, often for days at a time. For the past 8 years, the Ronald McDonald Family Room has provided these individuals a place to rest and recharge just steps from their child’s treatment room. Open from 9am – 9pm, 7 days per week, the Room is equipped with a lounge area, full kitchenette stocked with snacks and beverages, children’s play area, computer with internet access, shower access and other things that bring comfort to families so they can remain strong for their children.

This past September, the Ronald McDonald Family Room at Cleveland Clinic Fairview became the first in Ohio to expand its services to include two overnight respite rooms. These private rooms provide an overnight bed for caregivers of the most vulnerable patients, along with a shared lounge area and restroom with showers. One of the first families benefitting from such respite describes her experience as “…a blessing. It was so helpful and comforting to be able to be with [my son] during the day and overnight for his feedings and kangaroo care. I can only imagine the added stress had I had to leave the hospital while he was still in the NICU.” Another says “It was one of the hardest weeks of our lives, and using the room certainly meant the world to us. We can never begin to express how grateful we were…” In just over three months, over 125 people have used the overnight rooms, which are offered free of charge.

The Ronald McDonald Family Room at Fairview has served over 72,500 visitors, a number that is growing as services are expanded and medical treatment advances. Helping these individuals is accomplished through the kindness of dedicated volunteers, who have donated over 30,600 hours of their time. In order to continue our mission, we are seeking several more regular volunteers to serve as Family Room Hosts. For more information about this and other volunteer opportunities, visit our website at http://www.rmhcleveland.org/individuals or email Colleen Cronin at ccronin@rmhcleveland.org.

For more information about services provided by the Ronald McDonald House of Cleveland, visit our website at http://www.rmhcleveland.org or call us at 216-229-5757.
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Colleen Cronin

Colleen Cronin is a Lakewood resident and is the Outreach Coordinator for the Ronald McDonald House of Cleveland.

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Volume 14, Issue 2, Posted 9:51 PM, 01.23.2018