Royal Inland Hospital officially announced that they would be opening a Ronald McDonald House Family Room in the New Patient Care Tower this morning, and the mood was electric!
According to Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon CEO Richard Pass, of the over 2,000 families RMH serves in Vancouver every year, 27% of them come from Kamloops and the Thompson. He adds that the addition of the house will bring relief to so many individuals and groups.
"Ronald McDonald House, there are 368 of them around the world and each one of them is a locally-owned and operated charity that uses the name Ronald McDonald House," said Pass. "We in BC are the fifth largest in the world and the house itself serves 2,000 families a year... 27% annually of that population comes from Kamloops and this region."
"There are still so many people that come to this hospital that need support, and we want to be able to help keep their families together and provide as much care as we can in partnership with the Royal Inland Hospital."
Pass explained that the Family Room is different from a traditional "House," but it will still help groups be able to get away from hospital life.
"A Family Room is a house within a hospital. The families can get out of a clinical environment, can make a meal, can sleep and rest. The kids can play, they have access to computers so they can touch base with their family members, and we want to be able to provide that support."
"The families that stay together in that time of need are the families that are most likely to heal the quickest and the best so that's our mission."
Kamloops RMHBC Committee Co-Chair Sarah Irvine spoke to the benefits of having a RMH Family Room in Kamloops. Her family dealt first-hand with the organization when her niece was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. She noted that travelling to Vancouver for treatment multiple times in the year was increasingly expensive for her family.
"When your world has been turned into a tornado of stress, having an opportunity to feel grounded becomes priceless," said Irvine. "When you're faced with a circumstance that your child is admitted to hospital, your undivided attention is imperative to the healing and care of your child, and focusing solely on the details of your child's healing is nearly impossible when you're travelling for these services."
"RMHBC has been a great support for my family and has allowed her parents the ability to worry a little less about a place to stay or regroup as a family, a spot to nap in between appointments, shower, eat, interact with other families in situations, the list goes on."
The new room is set to open in 2024.
