Program areas at Ronald Mcdonald House of Delaware
The Ronald Mcdonald House of Delaware, Inc. Owns and operates a Ronald Mcdonald House in wilmington, de to provide safe and temporary housing to families of seriously or chronically ill or injured children who must leave their local communities to seek specialized medical treatments at wilmington area hospitals. The Ronald Mcdonald House of Delaware opened on june 7, 1991. The House has 50 guest rooms and served 1,037 families in 2022. Families are asked to contribute $15 a night. However, no one is turned away due to an inability to pay. The average length of stay is 11.99 days and families travel from downstate Delaware, Pennsylvania, new jersey , Maryland, and many other states in the united states as well as worldwide. The most common medical problems include: orthopedics and orthopedic surgery, hematology/oncology, pediatric intensive care, cerebral palsy, liver transplantation, and cardiac issues. Services are delivered by a small staff and 120 volunteers.
The second core program is the Ronald Mcdonald family room program which delivers service to families throughout Delaware that may not qualify for the House program. Two family rooms are places for families of infants receiving care in the neonatal intensive care unit. Family rooms allow families to be near their premature infants who have complicated medical issues. Family rooms include a sitting area, kitchenette, a small sleeping area and playroom areas. The third Ronald Mcdonald family room, which is jointly run by nemours/alfred i. dupont hospital for children and the Ronald Mcdonald House of Delaware, is a volunteer-staffed resource room, sitting room, kitchenette, laundry room, and 3 overnight sleep rooms managed by the House. There is no fee to use the family rooms.