Children's Hospital New Orleans and Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Louisiana Partner to Bring Expanded Family Housing to New Orleans on Children's Hospital's Main Campus

Children’s Hospital and Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Louisiana sign Memorandum of Understanding to renovate two buildings on the Children’s Hospital campus, creating a new projected 24-bed family housing facility.

NEW ORLEANS – Children’s Hospital New Orleans and Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Louisiana (RMHC-SLA) announce plans to jointly fund a new, expanded family housing space on the Children’s Hospital campus. The $6 million project will expand the current Ronald McDonald House New Orleans program, bringing much-needed housing to families from across the state and region whose children receive vital medical services in New Orleans.

Upon completion of renovations to the new housing facilities, RMHC-SLA will relocate its current 15-bedroom home located at 4403 Canal Street to the new space, which nearly doubles the available accommodations for families with an additional nine family rooms.

“Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Louisiana keeps families close to each other and the medical care their child needs, by providing free accommodations for the family,” said Cheryl Egan, President of RMHC-SLA’s Board of Directors. “For a sick child, having family nearby is critical to the healing process. We are thrilled that the joint effort with Children’s Hospital will allow us to provide on-campus housing while nearly doubling our impact for families traveling to our area for pediatric medical care.”

Ronald McDonald House Charities provides a home-away-from-home for families of seriously ill children and provides programs that give comfort, compassion and care to children and their families.

The renovation of the future home of Ronald McDonald House New Orleans is part of a massive campus expansion project at Children’s Hospital that reflects a $300 million investment to transform pediatric healthcare for children across Louisiana and the Gulf South.

“At Children’s Hospital, we’re building a total environment of health-centered on delivering expert care for kids with an extraordinary patient and family experience,” said John R. Nickens IV, President and CEO of Children’s Hospital New Orleans. “The partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Louisiana will create expanded access to housing for those in need, providing peace of mind and respite for families, on our park-like campus that is specially designed for children and families. Our goal is to help alleviate some of the stress and to be a resource for families.”

Over the coming months, Children’s Hospital and RMHC-SLA will work together to formalize plans for the joint family housing initiative with construction slated to begin in 2020.

###

About Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Louisiana

Since 1983, Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Louisiana has been keeping families with sick children close together and near to the care and resources they need. Ronald McDonald House New Orleans accepts families of children 21 and under in age who are coming to New Orleans for medical treatment. These families must live at least 25 miles outside of New Orleans. Learn more at www.rmhc-sla.org.

About Children’s Hospital New Orleans

Children’s Hospital New Orleans is a 229-bed, non-profit academic pediatric medical center that offers comprehensive healthcare services, including over 40 pediatric specialties, delivered just for children. With more than 400 physicians trained in more than 40 pediatric subspecialties, Children’s offers a comprehensive array of pediatric healthcare services in Louisiana and the Gulf South. In addition to its main campus located in New Orleans, the hospital operates a network of specialty clinics across Louisiana and in Southern Mississippi, including in Covington, Baton Rouge, and Lafayette. Children’s Hospital offers primary care services at 15 convenient locations throughout Southeast Louisiana and remotely via its Virtual Care app. Children’s Hospital is a proud member of LCMC Health, a Louisiana-based, not-for-profit hospital system that also includes New Orleans East Hospital, Touro, University Medical Center New Orleans and West Jefferson Medical Center. Learn more at chnola.org.

Media Contacts: