Having a seriously ill child is nothing short of a heart wrenching experience. The families of sick children are regularly faced with stressful situations. This is not a burden that should be carried alone. Ronald McDonald House Charities Curaçao (RMHC) aims to support families of seriously-ill, injured or hospitalized children, where possible.

We strive to lighten the load for families providing emotional, social and financial support for some of the challenges they face.

With our core program, the Ronald McDonald Family Room (RMFR) in the Curaçao Medical Center, we grant families the possibility to stay close to each other and the medical care they need. Our RMFR is a space that creates a living-room ambiance within the hospital walls, where families can relax, catch their breath and re-energize. The space includes a play area for kids, a kitchen and dining area, laundry facilities plus 3 bedrooms for parents to stay in. The services are not limited to the hospital walls, however. Our reach further extends to families whose children receive outpatient care as well as addressing other (non-clinical) challenges that parents of ill children face.

Before Family Centered Care (FCC) became a recognized movement in healthcare, The Ronald McDonald House (RMH) program was founded with a mission to keep families of seriously-ill or injured children physically and emotionally close to the place where their child receives medical care. Over the years, a growing body of research has provided strong evidence that demonstrates the value of that mission, highlighting the physical, emotional and social needs of families with a hospitalized child and confirming the importance of proximity, involvement, education and partnership that are the cornerstones of family centered care.

RMHC enables family-centered care by supporting families throughout their health care journeys. The accommodation and support services RMHC provides to families of hospitalized children are not only beneficial; they are essential to high quality and effective healthcare.