On Friday, November 24, the Ronald McDonald House located on the campus of the Faculty Hospital in Motola celebrates its first year of operation. During that time, he managed to help more than two hundred families of seriously ill children so that they could stay close to each other during difficult times. It provides not only comfortable accommodation free of charge, but also other facilities that are necessary for the life of the whole family and thus conveys a feeling of home, even if one's own home is far away.
The Ronald McDonald House Foundation has been running the house of the same name on the premises of FN Motol for a year, and during its operation it has been able to help more than 200 families whose children are hospitalized or undergoing long-term treatment here. "The feedback from the accommodated families continues to impress us. We are there for them in the difficult moments of their lives, when they are learning to function with a serious diagnosis of their most vulnerable members – the children. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to everyone involved in creating a second home for families - thank you to the amazing team of people who look after the House and its residents, the volunteers who help with the operation, business partners, our biggest supporter - McDonald's to its licensing partners and, of course, the management and the health professionals of the Motol University Hospital, without whose active involvement the entire House project would not have been realized," says Ivana Švingrová Pešatová, executive director of the Ronald McDonald House Foundation.
Cooperation with FN Motol
There is a very good reason that the House stands on the grounds of this Prague hospital. Small patients from all over the country come to Motolo for specialized treatment. In addition to a number of workplaces, which are the only ones of their kind in this facility, there is also the largest oncology and hematology center for children. The cooperation between the foundation fund and Motol National University was key not only for the establishment of the House, but also for its current functioning. Families are admitted to the Home precisely on the recommendation of the nursing staff and after meeting several criteria defined jointly by the health professionals and the staff of the Home. These include, for example, the distance of the family's residence more than 50 km from Motolo or long-term hospitalization or treatment due to a life-threatening illness of the child. "Cooperation with the Ronald McDonald House Foundation is an important step for us in providing support to families of seriously ill children. We are proud to be the first in the Czech Republic to be part of this project and to see how the House is an important support in challenging times. By working together, we have created an environment that not only supports children's treatment, but also allows families to stay together and feel at home during treatment." says JUDr. Ing. Miloslav Ludvík, MBA, director of the University Hospital in Motol.
Family-centered care
The Ronald McDonald House offers families full-fledged rest and facilities that support their psyche, so that they can devote as much as possible to their sick child and so that the whole family can stay together. Accommodation in the House allows parents not only to be close to the child at all times, but also to help the medical staff with the care of the child, i.e. to actively participate in its treatment. The House project is thus an example of successful cooperation between the non-profit sector and a public healthcare facility and a practical implementation of an approach to the provision of medical care that is focused on the family, i.e. Family Centered Care, and brings indisputable benefits for parents, sick children and the medical staff themselves.
About the endowment fund
The Ronald McDonald House Foundation is part of the international organization Ronald McDonald House Charities and was founded in the Czech Republic in 2002. During its existence, it focused on the implementation of several projects for families of seriously ill children. The biggest is undoubtedly the Ronald McDonald House. The total cost of its construction and equipment exceeded 100 million crowns. The construction, equipment and subsequent operation of the House is completely financed by the endowment fund from contributions from the public collection. This is implemented in various ways in the long term, mainly in the restaurants of the general partner - McDonaldʼs and its operators, as well as from its direct financial donations and the support of other corporate and individual donors.
About FN Motol
The University Hospital in Motol is the largest medical facility in the Czech Republic and one of the largest in Europe. It is also the main teaching base of students of the 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, and some workplaces of the 1st Faculty of Medicine, Charles University are also located here. FN Motol provides basic, specialized and super-specialized health care and services in the medical fields in the form of outpatient and inpatient care for children, adults and seniors. In terms of construction, it consists of two interconnected monoblocks (children's and adult part) and several separate pavilions. At the Motol University Hospital, more than one million patients are treated annually at 56 clinics.
press release author: Ronald McDonald House Foundation Fund
