Ronald Mcdonald House Charities Of Charleston South Carolina Inc

Programs: The ronald mcdonald house charities of charleston (rmhcc) is a 32 bedroom 'home-away-from-home' for families of critically ill children being treated in area hospitals. Here parents and children lead a life as normal as possible during their traumatic times without the financial burden of costly hotel, meal, and travel expense. To qualify, the family must have a pediatric patient 18 or under being treated at a local hospital. Seven of the 32 bedrooms are specially equipped to serve transplant patients. These patients stay at the ronald mcdonald house for an average of 100 days following a transplant. Eight hundred fifty-eight families stayed in 2017 and 478 families were turned away due to capacity limitations. Since the house's opening, families from all fifty states and fourteen foreign countries have stayed. Generally, the house serves 94-96% from sc. In 2017, the primary treatment breakdown for the critically ill children was as follows: 31% heart, 21% premature, 7% neuro, 7% cancer, and 34% spread over a variety of other categories. No other organization provides a comparable residence alternative for families with children receiving critical care at nearby charleston hospitals. Charleston area hotels and resorts can be expensive and many are simply beyond the budget of young families. In most cases, families will pass their time in hospital waiting rooms where there are no private spaces, showers, laundries, or other conveniences of home. Others must travel hours to arrive in charleston only to leave again the same evening or next day. Rmhcc provides more than just a place to sleep. It is truly a home, where families can support each other during their most trying times. The friendships made at rmhcc help the families sustain the hardships, worry and fears. As one mother put it, "we became a family when our own families were far away and we understood what only someone who has a sick child can understand. No hotel comes close at any cost" (jacqueline la rocca, basking ridge, nj). Along with housing, rmhcc provides meals for the families, cooked by volunteers from the community. The house is the vehicle through which the community can assist our families with donations of toiletries, on the meal-go-kits, paper goods and consumable products, groceries, and other necessities. Rmhcc has on-site management, and is available to assist a family when an emergency occurs outside of normal office hours. Volunteers and staff are trained to assist families in crisis. While not a treatment facility, rmhcc helps alleviate the stress of trauma in the family with a listening ear and a warm, comforting environment. Rmhcc also provides an approved licensed baby steps program. This program teaches parents in a fun environment many of the considerations in preparing and taking care of a premature child.