Central New York Ronald McDonald House

Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central New York, Inc. (RMHC of CNY) provides essential services that remove barriers, strengthen families and promote healing when children receive inpatient or outpatient medical treatment at Syracuse-area hospitals and affiliated clinics. Through the 25 guest room and six family suites, the CNY Ronald McDonald House, the nonprofit organization offers families what they need to ensure best health outcomes for their children.When parents learn that a child is seriously ill, everything changes. Daily routines are interrupted to travel to distant cities for medical care. Dinners come from hospital cafeterias or vending machines, and the comforts of home are traded for a chair near the bedside of a sick child. With the support of donors and volunteers, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central New York (RMHC of CNY) provides comfort, care and compassion during a family's most difficult time, allowing parents and families to focus on what really matters: the health and well-being of their child. The CNY Ronald McDonald House is a home. Our house amenities include 100% handicap accessibility, 25 guest rooms with private baths, a long term stay apartment, six family style suites with one- and-two-bedrooms, elevator, large family centered kitchen, family dining areas, community room, family resource room, wireless access and more. We provide guests with so much more than just a private room to stay in and home-cooked meals. The House offers comfort, support, and resources to families, just minutes away from area hospitals in Syracuse, and an opportunity to talk with other guests who understand what it is like to face the unthinkable. After all, families are stronger when they are together, and by keeping them close, we can play a role in the healing and coping process.When families with seriously ill children travel to Syracuse from counties throughout Upstate New York and Northern Pennsylvania to receive medical care at local hospitals and health care facilities, we are able to offer them the comforts of home and an atmosphere where they can share experiences with other families. The children of these guest families were being treated at area hospitals for cancer or leukemia, heart disease, brain injuries, chronic health illnesses, respiratory problems, accidents, and complications from premature birth to name a few. Families who stay at the CNY Ronald McDonald House must live more than 25 miles from Syracuse. The majority of the families live 50-100 miles from Syracuse. The CNY Ronald McDonald House is centrally located just east of downtown Syracuse, near the three major hospitals it serves, Crouse Hospital, St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center, and Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital and their clinics.The CNY Ronald McDonald House was built on the fundamental belief that nothing else should matter when a family is focused on the health of their sick child. For nearly 45 years, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central New York has provided families with a comforting place to stay when their ill and injured children seek medical treatment at Syracuse hospitals. To meet the evolving needs of families, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central New York (RMHC of CNY) embarked on a $1.1 million expansion of the CNY Ronald McDonald House to create new family suites in the Fall of 2023. The organization renovated more than 9,000 square feet of unfinished space on the fourth floor of the House, adding six new family suites to increase the capacity of the home and enable the nonprofit to better accommodate large and multigenerational guest families. The expansion project finished in the fall of 2024 and new families were welcomed into this space in October 2024.The fourth floor features four one-bedroom suites and two two-bedroom suites providing a total of 14 beds to accommodate more guests. In addition to bedrooms, the suites include private kitchenettes, bathrooms and living rooms. The floor also feature shared laundry facilities.The six new suites has enabled the nonprofit to offer more family-centered spaces to large and multigenerational families while giving working parents and family members a designated space to work remotely during their stay. Additionally, the suites provide a private living space to families with children who are immunocompromised or have other illnesses that require isolation. We believe that when a child is sick, there is significant value in family-centered care to offer the entire family comfort and support during their health care journey. That is why we are committed to increasing access to care by removing geographic, cultural, and financial barriers to ensure families have the opportunity to be fully involved in their child's medical care plan. To reinforce that commitment, there is no charge to families who stay at the CNY Ronald McDonald House. By providing vital resources and a family-centered space at no cost to guest families, we can help reduce stress and alleviate a financial burden. After all, families are stronger when they are together, and by keeping them close, we can play a role in the healing and coping process. Research shows: Patients whose families stay at a Ronald McDonald House often are the sickest, traveled the farthest distances and spent the longest time in the hospital Family proximity to the hospital can provide important psychological benefits Parents often get better sleep when they stay at a Ronald McDonald House Families who stay at a Ronald McDonald House often report more positive hospital experiences and a greater ability to participate in their child's careA guest family from Cooperstown, New York, with a child receiving treatment for cancer, who stayed at the CNY Ronald McDonald House in 2024 shared the following: "The CNY Ronald McDonald House gave us a place to really focus on our son, without worrying about the logistics coming together. It made it possible to maintain consistency during such a challenging time in our lives."Looking ahead to the months and years ahead, the need for these services continues to grow. Families with seriously ill children continue to travel to Syracuse for specialized medical care, and when they do, the CNY Ronald McDonald House is there for them.