What We Do and Why
31 Years and 32,000 Families
RMHCA Mission Statement:
Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Alabama, Inc. (RMHCA) is committed to enhancing the lives of children and their families, with a primary emphasis on facilitating access to pediatric health care for residents of Alabama and adjacent states.
RMHCA provides a safe, affordable, supportive “home-away-from-home” for sick or injured children and their families when they travel to Birmingham for medical treatment.
Why Do We Need the Birmingham Ronald McDonald House?
Alabama has one of the highest rates of pediatric morbidity and mortality.
- - More than 45,500 Alabama children have one or more disabilities.
- - Alabama has the 3rd highest infant mortality rate in the nation.
- - The number of low weight births has been increasing in Alabama over the last decade.
- - Alabama has the 5th highest rate of preventable teen deaths and preventable accidents.
In Alabama, the human burden associated with these statistics is compounded by barriers to access to pediatric specialty care. Fully 75% of Alabama’s children do not live in a county offering comprehensive pediatric specialty care and must travel to receive needed services.
Birmingham’s Only Affordable Temporary Housing Facility for Sick Children and Their Families
Twenty-four (24) hours a day, 365 days each year, the doors of the Ronald McDonald House open to welcome families of sick or injured children.
On any night, open the door of the House. You probably will find 41 families and approximately 100 individual guests resting in cozy family bedrooms, cooking, laundry, recreational and internet facilities, and welcoming dinners prepared by House volunteers. Birmingham’s Ronald McDonald House charges just $5 to $10 per night for services that cost more than $65 per night to provide. Last year, the House provided over 1,100 guest stays; an estimated 32,000 stays since the House opened in 1979.
Families generally are eligible to stay at the House if:
- They live outside of Jefferson County (exceptions may be made under special circumstances).
- They have a child 18 years old or younger who is in Birmingham to receive inpatient or outpatient services for any diagnosis or injury.
- They are referred by any Birmingham-area health care provider that is treating the child.
The Families that We Serve
Despite enormous changes in medical care delivery over the past 30 years, the mission of Ronald McDonald House Charities® remains straightforward and constant. Our success in fulfilling this mission is measured by the families we serve and the number of affordable guest stays we provide. These are summarized in the table below.
Perhaps, more significantly, our success may be measured in the comments of our guests.
Basic Demographics of Ronald McDonald House Guests: 2009
|
Total # of Guest Stays in 2009 |
1101 |
|
# Guest Stays by Families from Alabama |
996 |
|
# Guest Stays by Families from Outside Alabama |
105 |
|
# States Represented by RMHCA Guests |
16 |
|
# Stays by Guest Families from other Countries |
1 |
|
# Pediatric Patients Who Stayed Overnight at RMH with their Family |
367 patients |
|
% of Guest Familieswho reportedHousehold Income less than $20,000* |
40% |
|
Average Length of Stay |
11.2 nights |
|
Longest Continuous Stay in 2009 |
173 nights |
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