It was announced last spring, during the annual McHappy Day charity fundraiser, that the new patient-care tower at Royal Inland Hospital will include a Ronald McDonald House Family Room.
On Thursday at the hospital, a few more details were revealed about the home-like retreat for parents and family members of all pediatric patients undergoing medical treatment for illness or injuries at RIH.
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The Family Room, slated to open in 2024, will be situated next to the pediatric and neonatal intensive-care units. The room will allow patients and their siblings release some energy in the play area, while parents may rest, prepare hot meals and snacks or enjoy a complimentary cup of coffee. The space has yet to be designed, but will include sleeping rooms and a range of complimentary amenities.
The Family Room at Royal Inland Hospital will be the second to open in B.C., with the first located at Surrey Memorial Hospital. The organization’s expansion to RIH — which serves more than 225,000 people from the Thompson Cariboo Shuswap region — is expected to enhance the hospital’s support of residents in Kamloops and surrounding areas.
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“We are honoured to be working with Ronald McDonald House in their expansion outside of the Lower Mainland and are thrilled to be able to offer even better comfort to patients and their families,” said Heidi Coleman, CEO of the Royal Inland Hospital Foundation.
Meagan Hanson, RIH’s director of clinical operations, noted the Columbia Street hospital is a tertiary site that serves a large geographic area.
“It can be very difficult and stressful for a family when their child is receiving services at this hospital and they are from another community within our region,” Hanson said. “This is the opportunity to make life a bit easier for these families. We look forward to working with Ronald McDonald House to create this new space for families at RIH.”
Richard Pass, CEO of Ronald McDonald House in B.C. and Yukon, said expansion to Kamloops is part of the organization’s mission to serve families from the B.C. Interior.
