HOUSE UPDATES REGARDING COVID-19

We are incredibly grateful for the continued support of our volunteers, donors, and supporters during this uncertain time. Here are a few of the ways you can continue to help from home:

  • Donate gift cards to local grocery stores (such as Smith’s or Walmart) or a Visa gift card. Gift cards can be mailed to 2323 Potosi St., Las Vegas, NV 89148
  • Sponsor a meal for our families for $50. Donate online or over the phone and be sure to note that you’d like the donation to be used for the ‘dinner meal program’. CLICK HERE to donate online or call 702-252-4663.
  • Order items from our Amazon Wish List and have them shipped to the House. Here’s a look at what’s currently on our wish list: https://amzn.to/2QtCson.

Monday, November 2:

We are excited to welcome volunteers back to the Ronald McDonald House on a limited basis!

We have reinstated our Dinner Program with some changes due to COVID-19. Volunteer groups of up to four adults are invited to prepare a comforting home-cooked meal for families by 5:30 p.m.  As many of you know, after spending a long day at their child's hospital bedside, preparing a meal is one of the last things on their minds.  Your willingness to serve is one less stressor on these families.  To learn more about the new dinner guidelines, browse the available dinner dates, or to sign up, please CLICK HERE.

RMHC of Greater Las Vegas in partnership with Sunrise Children's Hospital is closely monitoring COVID-19 cases within the community to determine when we can safely reinstate the Ronald McDonald Family Room.  We look forward to serving more families at our hospital-based program soon.

Thank you for your continued patience and support of our mission to keep families close.

Monday, August 24:

Throughout this pandemic, families in medical crisis can still rely on The House That Love Built for a safe and supportive place to stay. For the past several months, and in coordination with local health partners and the Global RMHC team, we have slowly increased the maximum occupancy levels for individual family members, which continue to comply with social distancing requirements. After Labor Day, we will be increasing program occupancy to 75% to allow us to serve more families under our roof.

With the suspension of our volunteer program, House staff continues to provide meals and shuttle services for families. And in the coming weeks, a select few volunteers will be invited back to assist with these services as occupancy increases.

Additionally, the Ronald McDonald Family Room at Sunrise Children’s Hospital is also undergoing review for reinstatement on a limited basis for families with babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. More information to come.

Again, thank you to all of our amazing supporters for your understanding and continued assistance to provide all the comforts of home to families with hospitalized children. We couldn’t do it without you!

Tuesday, June 16:

We’re excited to announce that the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile (RMCM) returns to service today in Las Vegas, offering oral healthcare to children (up to age 21).

The RMCM is operated in partnership between Nevada Health Centers and Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Las Vegas. The staff focuses on treatment, education, prevention, and advocacy to children. Preventative services are provided in addition to emergency restorative care.

The RMCM went on dental hiatus due to the COVID pandemic in mid-March, but had been repurposed as a COVID testing and screening facility during the early days of the crisis.

Patient and employee safety is our number one priority, so COVID precautions are now in place for all patients and chaperones, including temperature screenings, required masks, and a limit of one parent allowed in the dental van during appointments.

To make an appointment, call 702-241-9984.  CLICK HERE to see the June schedule.

You can also learn more about the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile on our website or the Nevada Health Centers' website.

Monday, June 1:

We continue to serve families in need, and we have implemented new processes and protocols to keep both our families and staff members safe.

  • All staff and family members must wear a face mask in all communal areas of the House.
  • We are providing family members with PPE when they check into the House, including gloves, masks, hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes.
  • We have implemented stringent cleaning and disinfecting protocols, and have placed safety signage and social distancing reminders throughout the House.
  • House staff continues to prepare and deliver meals to families in their rooms.

In addition, the RMHC Care Mobile program has spent the past two months on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19. While we had to suspend the Care Mobile’s regular operations as a mobile dental clinic for children, we were more than happy to re-purpose the vehicle as a mobile COVID 19 screening and testing site, located at the Nevada Health Centers Martin Luther King clinic. With public testing more readily available now, the Care Mobile will soon be transitioning back into helping children in need of dental services across the state.

We are also continuing our efforts to re-open our Family Room and other volunteer programs, and we hope to have good news to share with everyone soon! Continue to check back for updates!

Friday, May 1:

As new policies roll out on the local, state, and national levels, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Las Vegas will continue to keep you updated on any changes to programs and events. Your support has made it possible for us to serve families at the Ronald McDonald House during this pandemic, and we are grateful that you are at our side.

In addition to the health and safety protocols previously implemented at the onset of this pandemic, RMHC has asked all guest families and staff to wear personal protective equipment while at the Ronald McDonald House. With the health and safety of our guest families, volunteers, and staff a top priority, we will continue to find opportunities to enhance these protocols moving forward. Thank you for your understanding.

And while we remain closed to the public, we have a number of ways you can still get involved to support families with a hospitalized child. Watch HERE to find out more information.

Stay safe and be well!

Monday, March 23:

As we continue to navigate the fast-changing COVID-19 situation, we want to provide an update on what has been happening around the House. The health and safety of our guests, staff, and volunteers continues to be our top priority, and we’ve remained in close communication with our global RMHC team and our local health partners to make proactive decisions.  We have implemented a number of changes to House operations to ensure our home is a safe environment for our families and our staff:

  • Only registered guests and employees are being allowed in the House until further notice.
  • House staff have created a schedule for families to use the common areas such as the kitchen and laundry room to minimize contact with other guests.
  • We are continuing to serve dinner to our families, but House staff is now making and delivering dinner to each family’s room.
  • House staff clean and sanitize daily as part of our normal business operations, but we’ve increased the frequency and extent of daily cleanings and are taking steps to ensure all rooms and offices have ample hygiene and sanitation supplies available.
  • We temporarily closed our Family Room located on the NICU floor at Sunrise Children’s Hospital as of Friday, March 13.
  • We temporarily suspended all volunteer programs, including the Lunch Is On Us! Program, Dinner Groups, Cookie Crews, and Weekend Breakfast Groups as of Friday, March 13.

Friday, March 20:

Despite the recent suspension of our volunteer and meal programs, we wanted to reassure everyone that we are still able to serve families here at the Ronald McDonald House!  We have implemented additional House policies to encourage social distancing within the House spaces to ensure the safety and health of those families staying with us, as well as our staff.  While the House is open to our families, it continues to remain closed to the public.

Thank you for everyone’s support during these uncertain times.

Tuesday, March 17:

The 16th annual Runnin' for the House 5K Run & Fun Walk will be transitioned into a VIRTUAL event due to the recent concerns surrounding COVID-19. The event will still take place on Saturday, April 18, but instead of coming to the House, participants will be able to complete the 5K run or one-mile walk wherever they want! Participants can chose to run in their neighborhood, at a park or even bike the distance.

Help us #RockTheSocks and meet our fundraising goal of $85,000.  CLICK HERE to register.

Once you register, join our Facebook group to get the latest event information and follow your fellow runners' training progress:  www.facebook.com/groups/495669527984755/

We know many people may have questions about how the new format works, and what happens next if you've already registered - please CLICK HERE to take a look at our Virtual Run FAQs! And if you have additional questions, please email us at events@rmhlv.org.

Monday, March 16:

At Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Las Vegas, our first and highest priority is the health and safety of our guest families, volunteers, and staff.

As we monitor developments around the coronavirus (COVID-19), we continue to communicate with our local health and medical partners to ensure we’re following appropriate procedures to mitigate the risk of exposure.

Effectively immediately, we have enacted the following measures:

  • We are transitioning the 16th Annual Runnin’ for the House 5K Run & Fun Walk, scheduled for Saturday, April 18th, into a virtual event. More details will be released in the coming days.
  • We have temporarily closed our Family Room located on the NICU floor at Sunrise Children’s Hospital.
  • We have temporarily suspended all volunteer programs, including the Lunch Is On Us! Program, Dinner Groups, Cookie Crews, and Weekend Breakfast Groups.
  • We are not currently allowing outside groups or visitors into the House. Only families, staff, and other essential personnel will be allowed admittance.
  • All meetings and activities involving groups and individuals from outside RMHLV have been canceled or transitioned into a teleconference format.
  • Our House Managers clean and sanitize daily as part of our normal business operations, but we’ve increased the frequency and extent of daily cleanings and are taking steps to ensure all rooms and offices have ample hygiene and sanitation supplies available.

With the suspension of our volunteer groups and meal programs, there remains a great need to help feed our families, and that’s how YOU can help! A donation of $50 on average would help cover some of the meal program costs during this unprecedented time. If you’re interested in sponsoring a meal, please contact Christine Fernandez, our Volunteer Manager at christine@rmhlv.org, or donate directly on our website by clicking here.

We are still accepting pop tabs and decorated lunch bags, and there will receptacles outside our front door for convenient drop-off of those items.

Thank you for your loyal support of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Las Vegas. We greatly appreciate your cooperation as we continue to keep our families healthy and safe.

If you have any questions, please contact us at 702-252-4663.

Alyson McCarthy
Chief Executive Officer