TORONTO, April 24, 2013 /CNW/ - Families with seriously ill infants and children in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and the Paediatric Unit at Markham Stouffville Hospital now have a "home away from home" to retreat to steps away from their children with today's Grand Opening of the hospital's new Ronald McDonald House Toronto Family Room.
The first of its kind to open in York Region, the Ronald McDonald House Toronto Family Room at Markham Stouffville Hospital provides parents with a much-needed place to rest and relax away from the hospital's clinical environment and steps from their child's bedside.
"Offering families access to a medical-free space to rejuvenate themselves inside the hospital while being close to their ill babies and children is so critical to the healing process for both child and parent," says Jane Marco, Chief Executive Officer, Ronald McDonald House Toronto. "We are thrilled with this newest addition to our Family Room Program which will support families during a most difficult time in their lives."
Located within the hospitals' new wing inside the Childbirth and Children's Centre Unit and directly off the NICU, the Family Room at Markham Stouffville Hospital is designed to be a soothing place of comfort, care and compassion for families whose children are receiving hospital treatment. The space is equipped with two kitchenettes, two lounge areas with televisions, a bathroom with shower facilities and provisions for napping.
"We are honoured to have a Family Room in our new wing. Providing support to the patient and their family is so important to their care," says Janet Beed, President and CEO, Markham Stouffville Hospital. Ronald McDonald House Toronto and the Owner/Operators of McDonald's Restaurants in Markham Stouffville have been supportive of our organization and we are very excited to be collaborating with them to support our patients."
The Ronald McDonald House Toronto Family Room Program which launched in 2012 extends the comforting and supportive experience of Ronald McDonald House Toronto to the hospital setting.
The Family Room at Markham Stouffville Hospital will serve families from Markham, Stouffville, Uxbridge and the surrounding areas. It is the second Family Room to open in the Greater Toronto Area, joining the Family Room at The Credit Valley Hospital of the Trillium Health Partners in Mississauga, which opened in 2012.
Ronald McDonald House Toronto, an independently owned and operated charity, is responsible for staffing, funding, furnishing and operating its Family Room Program.
About Ronald McDonald House Toronto
For more than 30 years Ronald McDonald House Toronto has been fulfilling its mission to provide a "home away from home" for seriously ill children and their families to heal better together. Ronald McDonald House Toronto offers a place for sleeping, schooling, working, cooking and playing. It also provides vital therapeutic programs that help sick children, their siblings and their parents get to a better place emotionally. For more information visit www.rmhtoronto.org.
About Markham Stouffville Hospital
Markham Stouffville Hospital is a progressive two-site, community hospital with leading diagnostic services and clinical programs in acute care medicine and surgery, mental health, and maternal and child health; all focused on the needs of our rapidly growing communities. Partnering with other specialist providers, the 330 physicians and 1,800 staff of the hospital make it the centre of community care for the residents of Markham, Stouffville and Uxbridge - a catchment area of nearly 340,000 members.
Image with caption: "Jane Marco, Executive Director of Ronald McDonald House Toronto (2nd left), shares a smile with Chairman Keith Graham of the RMH Toronto Board, McDonald's Canada Franchisee Marcia Finlayson and Ronald McDonald House Charities Canada President and CEO Cathy Loblaw, to celebrate the Grand Opening of the Ronald McDonald Family Room at Markham Stouffville Hospital in Markham, April 24, 2013. (CNW Group/Ronald McDonald House Toronto)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130424_C7971_PHOTO_EN_25959.jpg
SOURCE: Ronald McDonald House Toronto
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Lisa Joyce
Director of Public Relations
Markham Stouffville Hospital
(905) 472-7032
[email protected]
Lianne Castelino
Communications Officer
Ronald McDonald House Toronto
(416) 977-0458 ext. 269
[email protected]
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