RonaldMcDonald brochure_FINAL

Together.

A CAPITAL CAMPAIGN FOR THE RONALD MCDONALD FAMILY ROOM® AT UNITYPOINT HEALTH  –  ST. LUKE’S HOSPITAL

It’s hard to wrap your mind

around it as a mother, that

it’s normal for your child to

stop breathing 20 times a day.

Being able to physically be

here at least helps me feel like

I have some control.

– St. Luke’s NICU Mom

For more than 30 years, the families

of critically ill newborns, infants, and

children have trusted UnityPoint

Health – St. Luke’s Hospital.

While we can provide extraordinary

care, what we can’t provide to our

families is a comfortable respite

area. A place to recharge and rest.

A place that allows a family to be

together, throughout one of the

most difficult times of their lives.

Seeing the growing number of

families spending days and weeks

with their sick child in a less than

comfortable environment, St. Luke’s

and Ronald McDonald House

Charities® of Eastern Iowa & West-

ern Illinois (RMHC of Eastern Iowa

& Western Illinois) decided to part-

ner and create Eastern Iowa’s first

Ronald McDonald Family Room®

at UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s

Hospital.

UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s Foun-

dation is working to fill this need.

Together...“

”

In it

A Ronald McDonald Family Room

provides amenities similar to those

found in a traditional Ronald

McDonald House, but within the

walls of the hospital. This means

parents and family members don’t

have to leave the building – and

their critically ill child – when they

need to eat, nap, shower, take care

of laundry, or simply recharge.

While our current facilities at the

hospital’s Helen G. Nassif Center

for Women’s and Children’s Health

(CWCH) offer sleep rooms for

families, there’s little else in the

way of a relaxing, comforting

environment.

Why St. Luke’s?

As the only Advanced Level II

Regional Neonatal Intensive Care

Center (NICU) in the area, other

hospitals transfer newborns to

St. Luke’s when they need spe-

cialized care, with many babies

spending the first several days of

their lives here.

With the average length of stay

for a NICU or Pediatric Intensive

Care patient at St. Luke’s Hospital

between 14 and 18 days, parents

also call the hospital home. For

many families, their hometown is

many miles away, so staying at an

area hotel is the only option – and

an expensive one.

A Ronald McDonald Family Room

within the hospital gives parents

the peace of mind of being close

to their child, without the worry

of extra expenses during such a

stressful time.

ChangeRoom for

Current faCilities for families offer only sleep rooms.

seriously-ill child’s hospital stay,

believed their ability to stay near-

by helped their child recover and

spend less time in the hospital.

This powerful finding proves that

kids heal faster when mom and

dad are nearby, and is the reason

for our goal of adding a Ronald

McDonald Family Room at

St. Luke’s Hospital.

An emotional rollercoaster.

As a Family Support Liason at St. Luke’s Hospital, Karla Pisarik knows those words describe exactly what parents go through when their child is critically ill in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

A good day can be followed by a rough night; a few days stretch into a few weeks. The driving between home and hospital, or the cost of a hotel room adds to the stress of the moment.

Pisarik knows this is true because she’s also lived through the experience. When her son Brayden was born 17 weeks early, the St. Luke’s NICU became their home-away-from-home for five long months.

Now 9 years old, Brayden has undergone surgeries at a children’s hospital in Min-nesota, which required extended stays for the family. The difference between the hospital experiences then and now: a Ronald McDonald Family Room.

“The Family Room provided a space for our family to sit back and relax,” said Pisarik. “It provided a stress free environ-ment, and food and snacks, so we didn’t have to worry about going out or having that expense. We were able to take care of ourselves by having the Family Room available to us.”

Pisarik tells NICU parents that it’s important to rest and recharge during this stressful time, but she also knows how difficult that can be in a typical hospital setting. “In my job today and knowing in personal experience, it’s important to take care of yourself as much as it is to make sure that your child is healthy,” said Pisarik.

After being able to experience a Ronald McDonald Family Room, I realized: “We have to get this at St. Luke’s. We have to be able to provide this for our families, because it was so beneficial to us.”

Karla’s story

While having a parent

close by their critically ill

child provides comfort,

research shows family

togetherness also aids in

the healing process.

A study published last

year in a journal of the

American Psychological

Association, found that

families who stayed

together at a Ronald

McDonald House, even

for a portion of their

makes all the differenceTogether...Being

It’s important to take care

of yourself as much as it is to

make sure that your child

is healthy.

– Karla Pisarik

“

”

While our expertise at St. Luke’s is

giving world-class care to even the

tiniest of patients, it’s the expertise

of RMHC of Eastern Iowa & West-

ern Illinois to keep families togeth-

er while their sick child heals.

Working together, the St. Luke’s

Foundation will lead the capital

fundraising efforts to cover the

estimated $600,000 cost of the

Ronald McDonald Family Room.

Once the area is available for fam-

ilies to use, RMHC

of Eastern Iowa &

Western Illinois will

be responsible for

the annual operating

costs of the Ronald McDonald

Family Room, at an estimated cost

of $100,000 per year.

RMHC of Eastern Iowa & West-

ern Illinois will also provide fully

trained staff and volunteers to

manage the Ronald McDonald

Family Room by coordinating and

providing family meals, volunteers,

movie rentals, cookie carts, and

so much more.

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Together...WorkingOur Plan

The project will be implemented

through a renovation effort of

the 2nd Floor of the Helen G.

Nassif Center for Women’s and

Children’s Health.

The Ronald McDonald Family Room

will be constructed, and includes:

• Three bedrooms

• Private bathrooms and showers

• Family lounge with fireplace and computer station

• Kitchenette with refrigerator, oven, microwave, and family dining area

• Laundry room

Your support is critical. Renovations

will begin when half of the capital

funds are raised.

Anticipated Timeline:

• Construction – Fall 2014

• Grand Opening – Early 2015

Estimated costs for construction

Architect and Engineer Fees ..... $63,023

Construction ................................... $413,805

Equipment/Furniture ..................... $76,378

Miscellaneous Costs ................... $50,000 ______ $603,206

the ronald mCdonald family room® at merCy northwest arkansas offers a glimpse of what the spaCe may look like onCe ConstruCted at st. luke’s.

QuestionsCommonWhat is a Ronald McDonald Family Room?

Just steps away from a pediatric

or neonatal intensive care unit, a

Ronald McDonald Family Room

offers parents and family members

a comfortable space to rest and

regroup right at the hospital.

Research shows that a family

presence in the hospital helps

children heal faster and cope

better. Staying close by also allows

parents to better communicate

with their child’s medical team

and improves adherence to

complicated treatment plans.

How does a Ronald McDonald Family Room differ from a Ronald McDonald House?

While both focus on helping chil-

dren heal faster by providing an

oasis for parents and families, a

Ronald McDonald House is located

outside of the hospital, while a

Ronald McDonald Family Room

is found within a hospital.

How many families will the Ronald McDonald Family Room at St. Luke’s accommodate?

Three families will be able to

spend the night in the three

private bedrooms. However, all

families whose children who are

being treated on the 2nd floor

of the Helen G. Nassif Center

for Women’s and Children’s Health

will be able to use the common

area, laundry and showers 24 hours

a day.

Who qualifies to stay in a Ronald McDonald Family Room?

Families of NICU and Pediatric

patients on the 2nd floor are eligi-

ble to utilize the Ronald McDonald

Family Room.

How much will it cost to stay in a Ronald McDonald Family Room?

There is no cost to families.

Why is a Ronald McDonald Family Room important at St. Luke’s Hospital?

With over 300 admissions to

the NICU each year, St. Luke’s

Hospital is the baby hospital in

Eastern Iowa. The Neonatal and

Pediatric units serve children from

all over the state of Iowa, often

meaning parents face a multiple

hour drive each way between

their home and the hospital.

A recent study published in Fami-

lies, Systems and Health, a journal

of the American Psychological

Association, finds that families

who stayed together at a Ronald

McDonald House, for even a

portion of their seriously-ill child’s

hospital stay, believed their ability

to stay nearby helped their child

recover and spend less time in the

hospital.

Where will the Ronald McDonald Family Room be located at St. Luke’s Hospital?

Approximately 1,440 square feet

on the 2nd floor of the Helen G.

Nassif Center for Women’s and

Children’s Health building will

be renovated for the Ronald

McDonald Family Room. The

space is centered between the

NICU, as well as the Pediatric

Unit and is currently underutilized.

It will include three bedrooms,

two showers, and laundry facilities,

as well as a living space, kitchen,

pantry, dining space and computer

work area.

How will the Ronald McDonald Family Room be funded?

St. Luke’s Foundation is fundrais-

ing to pay for the construction and

renovation costs. RMHC of Eastern

Iowa & Western Illinois will pay

for the annual operational cost,

estimated to be $100,000 each year.

The partnership between St. Luke’s

and RMHC of Eastern Iowa &

Western Illinois is for five years

with automatic renewal options.

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern Iowa & Western Illinois:

Ronald McDonald House Charities

of Eastern Iowa & Western Illinois

is not owned or operated by

McDonald’s restaurants, the Univer-

sity of Iowa, or UnityPoint Health

– St. Luke’s Hospital. RMHC of

Eastern Iowa & Western Illinois is

a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization

that relies 100% on private gifts.

Ronald McDonald House Charities is

known around the world for giving

families a “home-away-from-home”

when their child is in the hospital.

And, more so, there is now research

that proves that children heal more

quickly when their parents are near-

by. Together, our two organizations

are working toward helping these

kids heal faster.

Ronald McDonald House Charities

of Eastern Iowa & Western Illinois

will generously support the Ronald

McDonald Family Room once com-

pleted, but it’s up to us to raise funds

for construction.

Please consider making a donation

to help us keep families together. In

thanks, all donors will be acknowl-

edged in our Annual Report to the

community. Those contributing a gift

of $3,000 or more will be recognized

in a permanent recognition display

near the Family Room.

Together...Help us keep families

Everybody’s like, ‘You need to

go home and get some rest,’

but I can’t be that far. I don’t

have it in me. It’s here for

now. This is where I’m at.

– St. Luke’s NICU Mom

“

”

855 A Avenue NE, Suite 105 Cedar Rapids, IA 52402319/369-7716

© 2014 UnityPoint Health – St. Luke’s Foundation

The following trademarks used herein are owned by McDonald’s Corporation and its affiliates; McDonald’s, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Ronald McDonald House Charities Logo, RMHC, Ronald McDonald Family Room.

Together...