PARK RIDGE (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - After a delay due to COVID, Ronald McDonald House Charities is opening a new family room at Advocate Children’s Hospital in Park Ridge.
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana CEO Holly Buckendahl said they expect to host about 600 families a year in the new 4,000 square foot space inside the hospital, steps away from their children in intensive care.
“[There’s] four bedrooms,a kitchen area, a play space for the kids, family room, dining room, laundry room,” Buckendahl said.
Mike Farrell, president of Advocate Children’s Hospital said studies have shown how having family nearby helps patients like those in their neonatal intensive care unit in their recovery.
“It just gives a sense of security to the family. Most of the family just don’t want to leave,” Farrell said.
The family room and additional hospitality space are expected to open in a few weeks.
Patients can be in the neonatal intensive care and pediatric intensive care units for one to two weeks which would mean a lot of driving back and forth for parents.
The new family room fills the need for housing and respite space for patient families on the Park Ridge campus, with almost 30% of families with a child admitted to Advocate Children’s Hospital living more than an hour away.
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