Ronald McDonald House Charities of Eastern Iowa & Western Illinois

RMHC-EIWI helps families with sick children stay close to each other and the care and resources they need, when they need it most.

The Ronald McDonald House of Eastern Iowa & Western Illinois serves these families by providing the comfort and amenities they need while their child recovers. Whether they are staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Iowa City, or one of our Family Rooms at UnityPoint Health – St. Luke's in Cedar Rapids or the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital, we keep families together when their child needs medical care.
The House provides all basic linens, towels, and toiletries and all rooms have a private bathroom equipped with a shower and toilet. A nightly home cooked meal is available free of charge to all families staying at the House. The House's common areas include a library, TV, fireplace, game room and toy room as well as an outdoor playground.

Parents of children receiving treatment at UnityPoint Health – St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids are now able to have all the comforts of home while remaining just steps from their child's bedside thanks to a new Ronald McDonald Family Room at St. Luke's Hospital.

A Ronald McDonald Family Room can serve dual roles. Families from farther distances often welcome the opportunity to grab a quick snack or close their eyes without leaving the hospital. The Family Room also serves local families who may live nearby, but do not want to leave the hospital for a meal or a shower. The Ronald McDonald Family Room at St. Luke's Hospital serves families of children being treated on the NICU Unit, Pediatric Unit, or Child/Adolescent Unit.

We're proud to offer a Ronald McDonald Family Room on Level 3 of the new University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital! The Family Room includes new amenities designed to meet the unique needs of families with a patient in the Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PCICU/PICU). Access to regular meals allows families to take care of themselves so they are better equipped to take care of their children. The meals also will provide some normalcy during a stressful time. The family room includes a kitchenette, dining area, and living room. A Ronald McDonald Family Room staff member will be on-site to assist families. The living room will include a TV with movie playing capabilities, reading materials, and toys.

At RMHC-EIWI, we strive to keep families close to the comforts of home. These include kitchen and laundry facilities, private rooms and baths, shared areas with space to socialize and play, and a home-cooked meal every night with self-serve breakfast, lunch, and snacks. We provide the basic necessities like fresh towels and toiletries, Wi-Fi internet access, fresh food and snacks to-go, so you can focus on what matter most: your family.

RMHC-EIWI welcomes all families with a child receiving medical treatment at a local hospital or clinic at the Ronald McDonald House and families using the correlated hospital services at the family rooms. No family is ever turned away due to an inability to contribute to their stay.

We recognize that a child's hospital stay may be unpredictable. Once a family is our guest, they are welcome to stay until 24 hours after the child is discharged from the hospital.

We are responding to the needs we see arise. In the last 3 years we have opened 2 new family rooms to respond to families needs that were not served by the Ronald McDonald House. We are also embarking on a feasibility study to determine the growth needs of the charity as we continue to see growing numbers on our wait list of families needing assistance.