Ronald McDonald Family Room coming to Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops

Kamloops will soon have the third hospital in B.C. with a Ronald McDonald House space for parents and families of sick children.

More details have been released about the previously announced project at Royal Inland Hospital.

The Ronald McDonald Family Room will be a place where families and caregivers can rest while visiting the hospital for pediatric care for illness or injury.

The project, a joint venture with the Royal Inland Hospital Foundation, Interior Health and Ronald McDonald House B.C. and Yukon, is slated to be completed in 2024. The construction will be a part of phase two of construction of the Patient Care Tower expansion.

"We are very excited about the addition of a Ronald McDonald House Family Room at Royal Inland Hospital as part of phase two renovations on the Patient Care Tower project," said Meagan Hanson, director of clinical operations for Royal Inland Hospital in a media release. "(Royal Inland 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. This is the opportunity to make life a bit easier for these families."

When the space opens, it will offer a home-like retreat for families to relax and connect with others who are at the hospital for pediatric treatment. The room will be located near the pediatric and neonatal unit, so families can be close to their children. There will be a play area for patients and their siblings, sleeping arrangements, a place to prepare hot food, and other amenities.

Currently, there is one Ronald McDonald House in Vancouver, where families from B.C. and the Yukon can stay during hospital visits for their sick or injured children. The only other Ronald McDonald Family Room is in Surrey, and this addition in Kamloops will help the 225,000 people in the Thompson, Cariboo and Shuswap regions who use the hospital, according to the release.

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