The Long Beach Ronald McDonald House serves as a "home-away-from-home” for families of children undergoing treatment for cancer and other life-threatening illnesses at Miller Children’s Hospital and other nearby hospitals and medical facilities.  

 

The Ronald McDonald House provides inexpensive, and often free, lodging for families who often travel long distances (sometimes from out of state) to obtain specialized medical care for their children. 

 

Much of the need will emanate from Miller Children’s Hospital’s special care area for newborns, whose length of stay is anywhere from 20 days to several months. 

 

Referrals can also come from the Hospital’s pediatric rehabilitation program, where head or spinal injuries, and other accidents or illnesses that induce physical impairments, often require long term rehabilitation.

 

Juvenile cancer cases traditionally have a great need for hospital care, particularly when first diagnosed and a child is undergoing initial treatments. That can be a time of tremendous distress to both children and their families, so having a place to stay near the hospital is vital.          

 

Complex chronic disease patients, especially those with less common or rare conditions, sometimes find that a hospital becomes their second home because they return repeatedly for multiple procedures or treatments. Those families can notify LBRMH when their child is coming in for treatment, and arrangements can be made to accommodate them