FAQ
We’re always happy to answer any questions you might have. If you can’t find your question answered below, please contact us.
We’re always happy to answer any questions you might have. If you can’t find your question answered below, please contact us.
RMHC does not provide childcare. Parents are required to be responsible for their own children and provide supervision at all times.
RMHC creates a home-away-from-home for families of pediatric patients. Just like at your home, there is not maid or room service for our guest rooms. All families are asked to clean their room before checking out of the House. They are also expected to clean up an communal areas they use. There are washing machines and dryers available for personal use free of charge.
We provide bed linens, towels and pillows for our guests. For various health-related issues we request that outside pillows and linens NOT be brought in to the House.
To help keep our spaces clean and safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, visitors are not allowed inside the Ronald McDonald House or guest rooms at any time, with the exception of Health Care Providers. Guests can host visitors in our outdoor space by appointment. Please see Guest Services for available times.
The smallest rooms will sleep up to 2 people, and the largest rooms will sleep 5. Most guest rooms in the House sleep 4-5 individuals. Guests will be provided rooms based on family size and availability. Fire code regulations mean that we cannot allow additional people to stay above the number allotted to each room.
The Ronald McDonald House is open 24 hours a day and families are welcome to come and go as they please.
RMHC has an on-site Family Support Services Manager who is able to help with crisis management, community resources (such as housing and food support), and grief support. Our Family Support Services Manager does not currently offer formal counseling services. Many families do find support in sharing experiences with other parents and children going through similar experiences. The RMHC Hospitality Desk can provide a list of nearby Spiritual Resources, Religious Services, and other resources as needed.
RMHC has an on-site Family Support Services Manager who is able to help with crisis management, community resources (such as housing and food support), and grief support. Our Family Support Services Manager does not currently offer formal counseling services. Many families do find support in sharing experiences with other parents and children going through similar experiences. The RMHC Hospitality Desk can provide a list of nearby Spiritual Resources, Religious Services, and other resources as needed.
In an effort to be safely responsive to the COVID-19 pandemic, the criteria are frequently updated. Please contact the Ronald McDonald House directly for the most up to date information by calling 801-363-4663.
No. We welcome diverse families from all over the world. Family income is not a consideration for staying at the House. Families are invited to contribute $20 per night toward the cost of their stay, but no family is turned away because of an inability to pay.
Grab & Go meals and snacks are available for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House. Pantry, frozen and fresh foods are also provided. There are small refrigerators and microwaves in each room to help families prepare food on-site.
RMHC provides a complimentary shuttle that takes families to and from the hospital on a set schedule. (Check with the Front Desk for times and details.)
The Front Desk is staffed 24-7, so new and returning guest families may check in any time their rooms are ready. Suggested check-in hours are between 4:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. to allow time to clean rooms and help with paperwork as needed. Please remember to call the morning before arrival to be placed on the waiting list, and again the morning of arrival (7 a.m. to 9 a.m.) to confirm a room will be ready for you.
All guest families must have an eligible referral from a Social Worker/Case Manager at the hospital where the child is being treated. Ronald McDonald House must have a partnership agreement with the hospital/clinic before receiving a referral. A new/updated social worker referral is required every 60 days or at the discretion of RMHC staff.
All interior spaces at RMHC, including guest bedrooms and bathrooms are smoke-free. Designated smoking areas outside of RMHC clearly marked.
Rooms at the Ronald McDonald House have a private bathroom, one or more beds, closet space, nightstand, dresser, a desk, telephone, microwave, mini-fridge, smart TV and pull-out couch. New guest families should check-in before 9:00 p.m. if possible. Please call to make other arrangements.
Activities are limited at this time due to COVID-19 conditions. Some activities are available for families by appointment and must be arranged directly with Guest Services. The Hospitality Desk also provides information about and free passes for family entertainment in the community.
There are opportunities to support our pediatric patient families off-site with wishlist drives, adopt-a-meal sponsorship, and other projects throughout the year. For more information about current volunteer opportunities, please contact kacie@rmhslc.org
It varies greatly, depending on the child’s illness and treatment. Stays may last several weeks to several months and even extend to a year or more.
Families are invited to contribute $20 per night to stay at the House. It costs RMHC over $100 per night to house a family, and even the minimal voluntary contribution helps with expenses. No family is ever turned away because of an inability to pay.
Families of seriously ill or injured children, or families with a child receiving medical treatment at one of our local hospitals, referred by a social worker/case manager. Specific criteria are updated based on the current COVID-19 conditions. For specific questions, please contact the Ronald McDonald House directly at 801-363-4663.
By donating and volunteering! We could not operate the House without donations from individuals and groups. Our volunteers are the heart and soul of our House – and the reason we can accomplish so much with limited resources. We have a detailed list of in-kind supplies, equipment and services that are most needed. Also check with the Volunteer and Outreach Director at kacie@rmhslc.org about the next major event we are hosting and ask how you can help!
Local McDonald’s restaurant owner/operators fund approximately 12-15% of our annual operating costs. This funding comes from in-store donation boxes, round-up, fundraisers and in-store promotions.
By generous supporters like you! Over 90 percent of our operating funds come from individuals, organizations, foundations, and businesses in the Intermountain Area. It costs approximately $3.5 million annually to operate RMHC. The majority of that amount is raised through individual and corporate donations. These include the Share-A-Night program, RMHC-sponsored and community fundraising events, grants, will bequests, property and goods donations.
The Salt Lake House can accommodate 72 families each night, ranging from 1 or 2-person rooms up through 5-person rooms. This includes 8 extended-stay suites for families with children who are immunocompromised. The House has two complimentary laundry rooms, a large communal kitchen, great room, and many additional spaces for recreation and quiet time. The House is a short ride to local area hospitals and a shuttle is provided.
There are more than 375 Ronald McDonald Houses throughout the United States and world, with local chapters in 64 countries and regions. All operate under licensing guidelines from Ronald McDonald House Charities; however, each Ronald McDonald House is independently operated.
RMHC has a paid staff on-site 24/7.
The House is owned and operated by Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Intermountain Area, Inc. and is governed by a Board of Directors.
Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of the Intermountain Area is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization and a chapter of the global RMHC. Our cornerstone is the Salt Lake Ronald McDonald House which provides a caring home-away-from-home for families of seriously ill or injured children being treated at a Salt Lake City hospital. In addition, RMHC operates a Ronald McDonald Family Room in Primary Children’s Hospital: an in-hospital respite area for parents of pediatric patients.
RMHC Purpose
The work and mission of Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Intermountain Area, Inc. (RMHC) are accomplished through public trust and the generosity of others. Donor stewardship is the foundation for building trust and lasting relationships between RMHC and those who support the RMHC mission. RMHC will maintain the public trust through efficient, cost-effective, and compassionate stewardship of resources. RMHC will strive to earn and convey trust through integrity, openness, and honesty.
RMHC has a record of responsible fiscal management and program excellence and the RMHC Board of Directors has affirmed the Utah Nonprofits Association Standards of Ethics. Charitable donations provide an important and unique source of voluntary financial support for the work of RMHC. Truthfulness, donor confidentiality, and responsible stewardship are the foundations for RMHC’s fundraising. Donors entrust funds to RMHC with the confident expectation that their gifts will be managed in a fiscally responsible, ethical and timely manner. Every effort will be made to ensure that the donors’ confidence in RMHC is well placed and that all monies are expended and reported under the guidelines and within the timeframe requested by donors.
RMHC Donor Privacy Policy
Chief Executive Officer will oversee the organization and resources entrusted to RMHC by the community.
RMHC will strive to act with integrity, openness, and honesty in all relationships, interactions, and transactions with its various donors and publics.
RMHC honors donor privacy and will not sell, trade or lend its donor or member mailing lists for use by any other organization, and RMHC will not send mailings on behalf of other organizations.
RMHC retains the following donor information in our database: donor name, address, phone number(s), and email. Credit card information provided directly to RMHC verbally or in writing is not kept on file and is destroyed after the approved transaction.
RMHC will respect donor and constituent wishes in regards to the use of the data that is collected and stored. Donors and constituents may opt out of future contacts from RMHC at any time, as well as: request to see what data we have on file, if any; change/correct any data on file; have us delete any data on file; or express any concern about the use of the data we have.
RMHC takes precautions to protect your information online and offline. Wherever
RMHC collects sensitive information (such as credit card data), that information is encrypted and transmitted in a secure way. This can be verified by looking for a closed lock icon at the bottom of the open web browser or looking for “https” at the beginning of the address of the web page.
RMHC servers are locked in a secure room with very limited access to staff. Each workstation and tablet are password protected and employees are diligent about locking their devices and following security protocols of protecting their devices at all times. Some data is stored locally, with no sensitive data being transmitted and stored at any remote locations.
While RMHC uses encryption to protect sensitive information transmitted online, it is also protected offline. Only employees who need the information to perform a specific job (for example, billing or development professionals) are granted access to personally identifiable information. The computers/servers in which personally identifiable information is stored are kept in a secure environment.
RMHC has a board-approved annual budget and written policies governing the following matters: conflict of interest; investment of assets; internal controls; and purchasing practices.
RMHC’s fundraising practices are consistent with and respectful of the intent of donors and prospective donors as well as the RMHC mission and organizational capacity.
RMHC’s fundraising costs will be reasonable in terms of percentage of charitable revenue spent for development.
RMHC will strive to have charitable contributions from fundraising activities that are at least three times the amount spent on fundraising.
RMHC will expend a minimum of 75% of its total operating expenses on program-related activities and will make its program vs. management and fundraising ratios available for the public upon request.
RMHC will have an annual independent audit and will make this audit available to the general public upon request.
RMHC will strive to create and provide accurate, truthful communications with donors and constituents and will not mislead or knowingly or intentionally misrepresent itself or its work.
RMHC will be accountable to its donors and the general public and will publish and make available an Annual Report.
RMHC will register for a Charitable Solicitations Permit with the State of Utah, Colorado and Arizona each year, and will respond promptly to any complaints or concerns brought to its attention by donors, the Better Business Bureau, or other interested parties.
In 1985, Mountain West Friends of Hospitalized Children was founded in Salt Lake City to provide housing and support for families of children who require specialized pediatric care. In 1988, Mountain West Friends of Hospitalized Children—in partnership with the Junior League of Utah, local McDonald’s owners and several community leaders and partners— opened the first Ronald McDonald House in Utah (and the 100th Ronald McDonald House in the United States). In 1996, Mountain West Friends of Hospitalized Children changed its name to Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) of the Intermountain Area, Inc. Since that time, RMHC has offered a home-away-from-home for more than 100,000 families. These families have come from rural areas in Utah, surrounding states, and the world.
The first Ronald McDonald House opened in Philadelphia in 1974 as a result of the perseverance and dedication of Fred Hill, a tight end with the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League. After his daughter Kim was treated for leukemia at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Hill became determined to help the families of other children at the hospital. Very few hospitals at that time provided sufficient accommodations for such families. Dr. Audrey Evans, a pediatric oncologist at Children’s Hospital, suggested that a “home away from home” was needed. Hill enlisted the aid of the Eagles organization and local McDonald’s operators to raise funds to purchase and renovate the first House.
Today, there are over 375 licensed Ronald McDonald Houses in 64 countries, providing temporary housing to tens of thousands of family members each year. Each RMHC chapter operates as an autonomous charitable organization – governed by a local volunteer board of trustees and supported by the local community. Approximately 78% of RMHC of the Intermountain Area’s annual revenue comes from private charitable philanthropy, 12-15% from local McDonald’s owners, and 10% from guest fees.
The mission of Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Intermountain Area (RMHC) surrounds families with the support they need to be near and care for their seriously ill or injured children. We provide a home-away-from-home to ease daily burdens and empower families of hospitalized children with meaningful experiences and quality time.
We offer families stability and resources so they can be together, always near their loved ones in a place that feels like home through our two core programs: the Ronald McDonald House – a home-away-from-home for families to stay close to their hospitalized child for days, weeks, months or more; and the Ronald McDonald Family Room – a place for parents to rest and regroup right at the hospital, just steps from their child’s bedside. RMHC is committed to providing exceptional programs for families with seriously ill or injured children with fiscal responsibility, accountability – and compassion.
RMHC is built on the simple idea that nothing else should matter when a family is focused on the health of their child – not where they can afford to stay, where they will get their next meal or where they will lay their head at night to rest. We believe that when a child is sick or injured, the love and support of family is as powerful as the strongest medicine prescribed.
RMHC allows families the ability to face the weight of illness together in close proximity to the treatment facility. By creating a comforting, supportive and healing space for families, we are able to help ease many of their day-to-day burdens so that parents can focus on what is most important — the well-being of their sick or injured child. Most importantly, our House and Family Rooms are filled with love, support and compassion.
RMHC of the Intermountain Area has a $3.5 million operating budget on average. This is used for maintaining and operating the Ronald McDonald Houses and its programs every day of the year.
Parents don’t know when their children will need medical help. But they should know they can always access the care they need. And with your help, we can support them all throughout their journey.