Did you know?

Information:

· $11 per night for a room or $20 per night for an apartment.

· The thoughtful design of this House allows 16 families the privacy of their own bedrooms

· Up to 4 people may stay in a room in the House. All rooms have 2 single beds; additional cots/cribs are provided as needed.

· Computers donated by The Make-A-Wish Foundation and Boyce Campus Middle College are available for use by families to stay in touch with loved ones at home, research medical reference information, and to complete work and school assignments

· Individual phones and voicemail provide our families with 24-hour direct access to their child's hospital room, medical staff and friends and family.

· The enclosed play yard contains a covered patio, complete with grill and furniture; a playhouse; a toddler-size slide, see-saw and jungle gym; and enough space for the children to run, climb and play as much as their health permits.

· Dr. Vincent Albo, a Pittsburgh oncologist-hematologist, recognized the need for a home away from home for families of sick children being treated in Pittsburgh hospitals. Through the efforts of families who had lost children to cancer, McDonald's owner/operators, the medical and business communities, and the Pittsburgh Steelers, a charming three-story 19th Century Victorian mansion in the heart of Shadyside was purchased and renovated. On July 10, 1979, the Ronald McDonald House opened its doors for the first time. The first home in Pittsburgh was the seventh Ronald McDonald House in the nation.

· In 1992, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh opened the first pediatric bone marrow transplant unit in the city. This created a need for specialized, long-term housing. With the combined help of local foundations, McDonald's Corporation and its owner/operators, the Board, and many organizations and individuals throughout the area, the Ronald McDonald House apartments were opened in April of 1994, next door to the original house.

· Families must live at least 40 miles from the Ronald McDonald House.

· Rooms cannot be guaranteed in advance because families' lengths of stay are often uncertain; instead families' names are put on the waiting list for their day of arrival. Rooms are assigned daily as they become available.

· Families must have a child 21 years of age or younger, who will be a patient at one of the area hospitals

Source:

http://www.rmhcpgh.org/