Ronald McDonald Family Room opens in Maine Medical Center's East Tower
"The Ronald McDonald House provides an invaluable service to our patients and their family members," says Richard Petersen, Interim President and Chief Executive Officer of Maine Medical Center. "When our new building opens in September, those important services will be even closer for families. Having a dedicated Ronald McDonald Family Room in our East Tower will provide a respite where families can regroup and seek support during emotional times. This resource room -- and the caring volunteers inside -- can help families focus their attention on the health and recovery of their loved ones. Maine Medical Center is proud to partner with the Ronald McDonald House to bring this service within the hospital."
The Ronald McDonald Family Room allows the Ronald McDonald House to serve all families. Any family whose home is more than 20 miles from Portland is eligible to stay at the House. However, there are numerous families with sick children who spend many days, nights and hours at Maine Medical Center that live in and around Portland. These families, in addition to the families staying at the house on Brackett Street, will have the opportunity to use the Ronald McDonald Family Room.
Anne Ball and Dennis Welsh of Yarmouth, Maine had two premature babies, one born in 2000 and the other born in 2002. Each child had to spend one month in the NICU... "A Family Room would have been a great place for us to visit. We spent many long hours in the hospital rarely leaving the building. The Family Room would have been the perfect place to take a break without feeling we were straying too far from our babies during that critical time."
To help strengthen and expand House services, Maine Medical Center most generously designated approximately 400 square feet of space in the newly constructed East Tower of Maine Medical Center: the cost of constructing this space was $160,000. In addition to their outstanding contribution for the space, all utilities, maintenance and security will be provided by the hospital gratis in support of this newly created Family Room. Furnishings for the room would not have been possible without the bigheartedness of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Maine's contribution of $25,000.
It is through the generosity and tireless effort by Medical Medical Center, RMHC® and the dedicated family room committee that made this new service for local families a reality.
Volunteers are needed to staff the Family Room Sunday through Saturday. If you are interesting in volunteering or would like more information, please contact Gabrielle Little, House Manager at 780-6282 or housemngr@rmhportland.org.
