A new Ronald McDonald House has opened its doors in Winnipeg.
The state-of-the-art facility will allow more families from Northwestern Ontario to travel and stay in comfort when their child needs medical care, 24/7/365 days a year.
Growing from 11,000 square feet to 48,000 square feet, the new home now includes 40 bedrooms, up from 14, each with a private washroom.
The House includes two kitchens to support meal programs, multipurpose rooms, specialty suites to serve bone marrow and organ transplant patients, secure parking, as well as indoor and outdoor play areas.
Officials say it will support between 5,110 nights to 14,600 nights of accommodation and will save families from Northwestern Ontario and Manitoba up to three times more in costly, out-of-pocket expenses, ranging between $800,000 to almost $3 million each year.
They adds the House will bring invaluable increases in service, quality, and care, as well as improve the mental, physical, and emotional health of families with sick or injured children.
Chief Executive Officer Wendy Galagan says, “So they can focus on their child’s health journey, their recovery, as well as just focus on each other. As a family you need to stay strong during times of childhood illness so we’re providing that safety net and that community of care and compassion.”
Galagan notes roughly 20 to 30 per cent of all visits to the home are from northwestern Ontario families.
The cost of the project is $20.7 million and Ronald McDonald House Charities has raised almost $20 million.
Galagan says construction costs were aided in part by the purchases and donations made during McHappy Day.
(With files from Randy Thoms)
