Ronald McDonald House Charities
Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) is a nonprofit organization that provides support to families with children facing serious medical issues. Their primary service is offering a "home away from home" at little or no cost to families while their child receives treatment at nearby hospitals. RMHC operates Ronald McDonald Houses, which offer lodging, meals, and other support, Ronald McDonald Family Rooms within hospitals, and Ronald McDonald Care Mobiles, which provide medical, dental, and healthcare services to underserved communities. The charity helps ease the financial and emotional burdens for families during difficult times.
My Role
Volunteer and Designer
Project
Group Project
Timeline
Winter 2024
Tools Used
Figma
Overview
BIOE273 | Biodesign for Digital Health
This project stemmed from my time in a Stanford class called Biodesign for Digital Health. In this class, students learned about digital health and the Biodesign needs-driven innovation process from over 50 industry experts. Over the course of 10 weeks, speakers joined the teaching team in a dynamic classroom environment that included lectures, panel discussions, and breakout sessions. These experts represented startups, corporations, venture capital firms, accelerators, research labs, healthcare providers, and more. Student teams took on actual digital and mobile health challenges and learned how to apply Biodesign innovation principles to research and evaluate needs, ideate solutions, and objectively assess them against key criteria for satisfying the needs. On the final day of class, teams presented to a panel of digital health experts and competed for project extension funding.
Project Planning
Assignment | Mental Health Resources in Rural America
When first given our assigned vignette, it focused on the lack of mental health resources in rural America. Given the scale of this topic, we decided as a group to try and narrow our definition to a specific need group that we could better assess over the course of 10 weeks. We began by looking into rural school districts and evaluating their mental health services - looking for areas that needed support or could be optimized for better performance. Researching both school specific mental health programs and outpatient care, we developed a list of experts to talk to and learn more about the existing landscape. What we learned is that the barrier-to-entry to try to implement mental health programs across different schools and different state lines requires extensive processes and pushback from administrations who do not have enough money to fund new programs. After a few weeks of calls, research, and group discussion, we felt like our project was at a halt and it could be time to reevaluate our need statement given the time constraints of the course.
Volunteering at Ronald McDonald House
Volunteer Day | Stanford Women’s Lacrosse
As one of the Stanford Women’s Lacrosse volunteer ambassadors, I helped organized a day for our team to go to the local Ronald McDonald House in Palo Alto to offer our services. We spent our time creating festive door decorations, goodie packages, and cards for the families to have during the upcoming holidays.
During my time there, I spoke with a house staff member about the mental health services they provide for their families at this location. What I learned was shocking. Of the 380+ houses worldwide, only 4 house offer mental health programs and they all exist in the Bay Area.
Need Statement
Project Opportunity
Following my experience with Ronald McDonald Charities, I spoke with my team about ways in which we can support RMHC’s cause and help these families have access to greater care. This led us to our new need statement:
A way to offer mental health support to both parents and children at the Ronald McDonald house that will improve their quality of life and provide care for over 70% of families.
Ronald McDonald House Charities
Global Reach: RMHC operates in over 60 countries and regions across the world.
Ronald McDonald Houses: There are more than 380 Ronald McDonald Houses globally, providing accommodations for families close to hospitals.
Family Nights: RMHC serves millions of meals through "Family Nights," where meals are provided to families staying at Ronald McDonald Houses. This reduces the financial strain on families who might otherwise have to worry about food costs during hospital stays.
Families Served: Since its inception in 1974, RMHC has helped millions of families. Each year, RMHC supports nearly 1.4 million children and their families.
Volunteer Support: RMHC relies heavily on volunteers, with over 536,000 volunteers worldwide assisting in operations, meals, and programming.
Funding and Donations: RMHC receives donations from corporate sponsors, individual donors, and McDonald's customers, with contributions of around $150 million annually. However, only a portion of RMHC's funding comes from McDonald’s; the majority comes from outside sources like individuals, corporations, and foundations.
Mental Health Metrics | Need Group
!! 78% of mothers and 65% of fathers in RMH houses develop anxiety or depression
!! ⅓ of parents of hospitalized children have PTSD symptoms after child’s discharge
!! 88% of mothers and 84% of fathers in RMH houses are receptive to mental health services when offered
Family Support Services | Existing Program
Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) not only provides lodging and physical care for families with critically ill children, but it also integrates emotional and mental health support into its services through the Family Support Services program. This program offers comprehensive care, addressing both the physical and emotional needs of families during their stay. It includes access to counseling and mental health resources, support groups, and educational workshops aimed at helping families cope with the stress and challenges of their child’s medical treatment. The goal of these services is to promote mental wellness and provide comfort during difficult times.
Despite the value and success of FSS, only 4 of 380+ RMHC currently have in-house FSS programs. As a group, we wanted to find a way to increase access to these programs through an enhanced appliction portal and verified American Psychological Association (APA)-Accredited Program.
Next Steps
Research
In 2022, RMHC and UCSF joined forces with the aim to contribute new evidence and facilitate the implementation of pediatric family-centered care and family-centered services in all settings where children receive health care globally. A possible next step for our portal would be a application process and branch specifically dedicated to research efforts.
This could create more opportunities for the FSS staff whilst also contributing new evidence to the existing RMHC care model. Eventually, there could be space for the development of possible screeners, diagnosis, and treatment plans for patients and families.
“Further research is urgently needed to test the effectiveness of different methods to provide psychological, emotional and instrumental support for parents, focusing on increasing parent coping resources and reducing distress during hospitalization.”
Reflection
Takeaways
After presenting our final deliverable to the panel of experts and greater class, we were encouraged by our professors to apply for the Biodesign Grant Funding to explore this project at greater lengths. They really believed that this could make a difference for RMHC and its families, and were willing to help mentor us throughout the next quarter to bring it into existence. However, given each group member’s schedule and other commitments, this was something we decided not to pursue. Additionally, speaking with a staff member at RMHC, they did not have the bandwidth to implement this program at the time being. Overall, this project was a great learning opportunity and a way to connect with the community.
