Stony Brook Children’s To Build Ronald McDonald Family Room
Announcement made at The Ronald McDonald House of Long Island Gala at Citi Field
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| Dr. Margaret McGovern, center, Professor and Chairman, Department of Pediatrics, Stony Brook University School of Medicine, and Physician-in-Chief, Stony Brook Long Island Children’s Hospital, is all smiles at The Ronald McDonald House of Long Island (RMH-LI) 25th Anniversary Gala on March 24 after receiving official word that Stony Brook Children’s will soon be home to a Ronald McDonald House Family Room. She is surrounded by staff and faculty of Stony Brook Medicine who attended the event at Citi Field. Third from right is Kate Hunt, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors at RMH-LI. |
STONY BROOK, N.Y., April 3, 2012 – Stony Brook Long Island Children’s Hospital is partnering with The Ronald McDonald House of Long Island (RHM-LI) develop a Ronald McDonald Family Room Program to provide support for families of more than 7,000 children who are hospitalized each year at Suffolk County’s only children’s hospital.
The program was publicly announced by RMH-LI at its 25th Anniversary Gala on March 24 at Citi Field in Flushing, NY.
“This is the start of an exciting partnership between The Ronald McDonald House and Stony Brook Children’s,” said Margaret M. McGovern, MD, PhD, Professor and Chairman, Department of Pediatrics, Stony Brook School of Medicine, and Physician-in-Chief, Stony Brook Long Island Children’s Hospital. “We are looking forward to having this valuable resource for families so they can be close to their children while they are hospitalized.”
“We are delighted to be able to bring this service to Suffolk County’s only children’s hospital,” said Matthew Campo, Executive Director of RMH-LI. “This expands our services to a large geographic area of 1.5 million people, offering comfort and convenience for parents who must travel back and forth to the hospital to be with their children.”
The Family Room will be located in the inpatient Pediatric Unit on the 11th floor of Stony Brook University Hospital and will serve parents of more than 7,000 children ages 21 and younger who are admitted to the hospital each year. It will be staffed by volunteers and workers from The Ronald McDonald House of Long Island.
Plans for the space include a living, kitchen and dining area, private bathroom, laundry facilities, transportation services, meal program, computer access, storage space and complimentary beverage service for families. RMH-LI will also provide additional support for the families of pediatric patients.
“This is much more than just a waiting room or a playroom,” said Debra Grimm MS, RN, Associate Director of Nursing and Administrator for Stony Brook Children’s. “It provides a valuable place of respite for parents and siblings of our patients during a difficult time in their lives – with the same hospitality and compassion that Ronald McDonald Houses are known for worldwide.”
The room is expected to be renovated and open to the public later this year.
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About Stony Brook Long Island Children’s Hospital:
Established in June 2010, Stony Brook Long Island Children’s Hospital is Suffolk County’s only children’s hospital. More than 7,000 children and adolescents are admitted each year. Stony Brook Children’s operates 100 pediatric beds and has more than 100 full-time pediatric physicians and surgeons and over 200 voluntary pediatric faculty members in 30 different specialties. The hospital is the Level 4 Regional Perinatal Center for our area and has a Level 3 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. It is home to the nation’s first Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis Center and also offers a Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Program, Pediatric Cardiology Program, Pediatric HIV and AIDS Center, Cystic Fibrosis Center and the Cody Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities. To learn more, visit www.stonybrookchildrens.org.
About Ronald McDonald House of Long Island:
The Ronald McDonald House of Long Island is the 100th House of over 300 Ronald McDonald House programs worldwide. Located in New Hyde Park, NY, the House accommodates families in a warm and supportive environment. For 25 years, RMH-LI has been a home-away-from-home for over 17,000 families in the United States and more than 80 countries around the world who are dealing with the pain of having a child undergoing medical treatment at nearby hospitals. For learn more, visit www.rmhlongisland.org.
© Stony Brook University 2012
