News Room: Press Releases

Ronald McDonald House Opens Two Family Rooms at Virtua Memorial

Ronald McDonald House of Southern New Jersey today celebrated the grand opening and ribbon cutting of two new family rooms at Virtua Memorial Hospital in Mount Holly. The Ronald McDonald House of SNJ Family Rooms are located on the third floor of the hospital in the Pediatrics Unit and the Special Care Nursery. The rooms provide a place for family members of Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit patients to relax, enjoy a snack and access the Internet in an uplifting setting that offers comfort and support. The rooms occupy approximately 1,000 square feet and are decorated in a beach theme. "The Family Room program is an essential resource, serving hundreds of families with critically ill children each year," said Teddy Thomas, executive director of the House. "The addition of these two rooms enables us to continue our mission of helping families of seriously ill and traumatically injured children in their time of need." The patients needing the hospital services of Special Care Nursery and Pediatrics consist of 25 to 30 percent military families from the Fort Dix Army Base and McGuire Air Force Base. These Family Rooms will serve the largest county in New Jersey. Virtua Memorial Hospital is widely recognized for its maternal and child health services. Along with Virtua West Jersey Hospital Voorhees, they deliver more babies than any other healthcare organization in the Southern New Jersey region. "The completion of these Family Rooms is exciting for everyone at Virtua Memorial Hospital," said Dr. Stephen Kolesk, vice president and COO, Virtua Memorial. "The rooms will provide a truly private space, where families can get away from the stress that comes from being at the hospital for hours on end, without actually leaving the hospital." Grants from Ronald McDonald House Charities® (RMHC®) of the Philadelphia Region, Inc., Virtua Health Foundation and the Patrick F Monaghan Foundation made the construction of the Family Rooms possible. An extension of the Ronald McDonald House program, Ronald McDonald House of SNJ now has 10 Family Rooms in operation across Southern New Jersey. The Family Rooms will be operated by volunteers from the Burlington County area. About the Ronald McDonald House of Southern New Jersey
Located in Camden, the Ronald McDonald House of Southern New Jersey provides a home-away-from home for seriously ill children and their families. In addition to its residential facility in Camden, Ronald McDonald House operates family rooms, specially designed waiting areas in pediatric units of seven South Jersey hospitals, to assist families whose children are being treated in those facilities. About Ronald McDonald House Charities® of the Philadelphia Region
RMHC of the Philadelphia Region, Inc., grants approximately $500,000 per year to support non- profit programs that directly improve the health and well being of children. RMHC of the Philadelphia Region, Inc. supports the Philadelphia, Southern New Jersey and Delaware Ronald McDonald Houses, and receives its support from McDonald's Corporation, McDonald's Owner/Operators, corporate donors and McDonald's customers. For more information visit www.rmhc.org. About Patrick F. Monaghan Foundation
The Patrick F. Monaghan Foundation encourages teenagers and their families to volunteer and give back to the community. Patrick died tragically in a skiing accident while on a trip with his church youth group. His memory lives on through this foundation and through the lives he touched in his time here on Earth.