Frequently Asked Questions

Generous supporters like you help fund Ronald McDonald Houses. The majority of our programming funds come from individuals, organizations, and businesses.

Local McDonald’s restaurant owner/operators generously fund portions of the annual operating costs of the House. However, the majority of the annual operating income comes from individual and other corporate donors.

Operating a room at the Madison Ronald McDonald House costs about $135 a night. That said, families can stay in the House at no cost. We suggest a $10 per night donation if they wish to donate. Payment is NEVER required to stay at the Ronald McDonald House. We can provide a “home away from home” because of the generous support of our community, businesses, and individuals. Thanks to your contributions, our policy is that a family never be turned away because of their ability to pay.

To stay at the Ronald McDonald House in Madison, we have 3 criteria that families must meet.

• The patient is 18 years or younger at the time of referral.
• The patient’s family must live at least 35 miles away from the Ronald McDonald House. Each family is allowed one room.
• The family must have a child being treated at one of our partner healthcare facilities
  • UW Health Hospitals and Clinics (American Family Children’s Hospital, the Waisman Center, and UW Hospital)
  • SSM Health (St. Mary’s Hospital & Dave Duehr Eye Clinic)
  • UnityPoint Health (Meriter Hospital & Meriter Child & Adolescent Psychiatry)
  • Central Wisconsin Center and Mendota Mental Health

Stays can be as short as one night or as long as several months, and sometimes extend to a year, depending on the child’s illness and treatment.

Thanks to a wonderful partnership with the Best Western Plus InnTowner, the North Central Group, and the Raymond Group, we are often able to accommodate additional families when our rooms are full.

If our partner hotels have rooms available, we can arrange accommodation for Ronald McDonald House families to stay in one of these hotels, ensuring that families are always well taken care of.

You can support the Ronald McDonald House in a number of ways, and we could not operate the House without donations from individuals and groups. Click here to learn more about getting involved.

The Ronald McDonald Family Room is open to parents or adult guardians of a child hospitalized in the pediatric unit or neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at SSM Health – St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison, and their guests. We welcome healthy siblings, but children under age 14 must be supervised by a parent while in the Family Room.

The Ronald McDonald Family Room is located on the 3rd floor at SSM Health – St. Mary’s Hospital in Madison.

If you wish to stay overnight in one of the sleep rooms notify a Family Room volunteer, nurse or hospital social worker. Your name will be added to the daily room request list. Because there are a limited number of sleep rooms, these rooms are available to families on a one-night-at-a-time basis. Please sign up by 2:00 pm each day. If you are assigned a room, you will be given information on the check-in and check-out time. The capacity of our sleep rooms is limited to two adults per room. Children are not permitted for overnight stays. If you require longer-term accommodation and live outside the greater Madison area, please contact your designated hospital social worker to inquire about a referral to the Ronald McDonald House.

The Ronald McDonald Family Room provides a welcoming, home-like environment for families just steps away from their child in the hospital.

Our services include:

• Four sleeping rooms for naps or overnight accommodations, each with a private bath
• Shared kitchen and dining area
• Living room with garden view
• Shower facilities
• Laundry facilities
• Computers and free WiFi
• A quiet room

We offer a variety of volunteer opportunities at the Family Room. Whether you want to donate canned goods or laundry detergent, volunteer to staff the check-in desk, or make a cash donation, there are many ways you can help. Click here to learn more about getting involved.

The 40-foot vehicle travels directly into areas where children are medically underserved, offering high-quality medical and health education in partnership with Mercyhealth. The vehicle houses two patient examination rooms, a reception area, and an area for vaccine preparation.

Ronald McDonald Care Mobiles provide several services based on the needs of the community including:

• School and sports physicals
• Primary care, well-child visits, and developmental screening
• Diagnosis
• Treatment of chronic conditions, including asthma, depression, and obesity
• Immunizations
• Oral hygiene education
• Asthma treatment and self-management education
• Childhood health promotion and injury prevention education
• Health education
• Nutrition counseling
• Mental health assessment and referral
• Social service resource referral
• Referral for specialty care

A team of medical professionals travel on the Care Mobile, including a nurse practitioner and program manager.

The Care Mobile visits several schools as well as various other sites in five counties in Illinois, including Boone, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson and Winnebago, and Rock County in Wisconsin.

Ronald McDonald Care Mobiles provide health care and health education services to children from birth to 21 years old.

Services provided on a Ronald McDonald Care Mobile are not meant to replace regular visits to a doctor. Rather, they provide an entry point into a regular pattern of health care for vulnerable children, with the goal of connecting the child and their family to a medical home.

All services offered on Ronald McDonald Care Mobiles are provided in a cost-effective manner to children and their families. No child is denied care based on ability to pay.

Funding for the Care Mobile is provided by Ronald McDonald House Charities of Madison and the Mercyhealth Development Foundation.

Please contact us for more information regarding appointment scheduling.

• Care Mobile Appointments or Schedule Inquiries: 815-971-5800
• Questions about the Care Mobile: Toni Ellingson, FNP/Manager, 815-971-5810
• Donations or Event Requests: Shannon Belmonte, RN, 815-971-6627