Ronald McDonald Family Room coming to EIRMC next year
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IDAHO FALLS — The Ronald McDonald House Charities of Idaho announced Tuesday that a Ronald McDonald Family Room will be coming to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center next year.
The Family Room is a space designated within the hospital that serves families of pediatric patients receiving treatment. It’s not just a single room though — The Family Room is actually more like a temporary home within the walls of a hospital. It includes four bedrooms to house four families, a communal kitchen, a living room and dining area.
The Family Room is meant to serve as overnight or short-term lodging for families with sick children in the hospital.
“It’s very exciting to be able to offer care and comfort and support to families who have sick kids in the hospital. That’s what we do as an organization is really work to keep families close together near their sick child close to the medical care they need,” said Mindy Plumlee, executive director at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Idaho.
The Family Room will be built inside a medical office building connected to EIRMC on the corner of Sunnyside Road and Channing Way.
“For us this addition is incredible because we know the families that travel to our region for care,” EIRMC spokeswoman Coleen Niemann said. “They desperately need this service to help make their stay just a little comfortable.”
Niemann says one of the reasons EIRMC was chosen was because of its growing number of pediatric services and the larger number of child patients.
Construction on The Family Room is scheduled to take place in spring of 2019 and be completed by the end of summer 2019. The room heavily supported by local donations of time and money.
For more information about the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Idaho or to donate time or money to the Family Room at EIRMC, click here.