Ronald McDonald House of Houston, Inc.

As noted by Pediatric Oncologist, Dr. Audrey Evans, “when there is a sick child, there is a sick family.” Ronald McDonald House (RMH) Houston addresses an acute need in the community by serving families who are desperately seeking treatment for their seriously ill child. Securing safe and affordable housing while a child receives treatment or recovers from major surgery, creates emotional and financial stress. No matter how financially stable a family is, the worries of a child’s health and the related expenses add up exponentially – medical, travel, lodging, food, gas, parking, sibling care/activities – the family can be quickly overwhelmed. RMH Houston strives to relieve these stressors so the family can focus solely on the health of their child and the stability of their family.

Located in the 4th largest metro area in the United States and immersed in the largest medical center in the world, RMH Houston has evolved to meet the changing needs of the children and families in its 40-year history. What started as a 20-bedroom house near the Astrodome, now consists of our flagship facility, Holcombe House, with 70 bedrooms and communal kitchen and living areas, and in-hospital Houses, Family Rooms, lounges and private bedrooms in Texas Children’s Hospital, Children’s Memorial Herman Hospital, and MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital. Plus, Mogie, the Holcombe House resident labradoodle, who is always there for extra hugs.

For the families staying at Holcombe House, our Licensed Master-Level Social Worker, and bachelor's and master's level student interns from UH School of Social Work, are available to facilitate Family Support Services – crisis intervention, case management, and coordinate activities to foster positive, hopeful feelings and possibly help the children and parents embrace a new friend with a similar diagnosis. Much like a house with a big family, RMH Houston’s family-centered care environment offers private bedrooms, communal living areas for activities, kitchens and dining areas to share food for the body and soul, and plenty of spaces for hugs and high-fives. As each family fights for a healthy future, RMH Houston is there to establish the emotional foundation for helping that goal become a reality.

Ronald McDonald House (RMH) Houston was founded in 1978 when Dr. Donald Fernbach, Chief of Hematology and Oncology Service at Texas Children’s Hospital, along with a group of parents, leaders, and McDonald’s franchisees, addressed the need to build a safe haven near the Texas Medical Center (TMC) for families with seriously ill children. In 1981, RMH Houston opened a 21-bedroom House near the Astrodome. As the demand increased, RMH Houston opened Holcombe House in 1997, now with 70-bedrooms, offering families a safe place to stay, kitchens, meals, family activities, communal play and lounge areas, laundry facilities, free parking, transportation to the TMC, and even, Mogie, our resident labradoodle, who is always available for hugs. For the families whose children are hospitalized, RMH Houston offers 20 private bedrooms and 10 Family Rooms/Lounges inside Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH), 14 private bedrooms with kitchen areas and lounges inside Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, and 2 private bedrooms, a kitchen and lounge areas inside MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital.

Through our comprehensive programs, RMH Houston is positively impacting the Social Determinants Health for our families, by addressing Housing and Food Insecurity. Offering room check-outs for overnight stays/daytime naps, hot catered meals, and the unrestricted availability of food staples can save a family as much as $250 per day, without relying on couches for sleep, cafeteria meals, or vending machine fare. This support enables our parents and family members a chance to maintain their strength, as they focus on the health of their child, and not have to incur additional costs or worry the accessibility of these basic necessities. Our cherished families need RMH Houston now more than ever. Their stress and fear on a daily basis is already exhausting, and now in the midst of global pandemic, our supportive programs are essential as families cannot put their child's treatment on hold.

Any family, regardless of socioeconomic status, diagnosis, race, ethnicity, home city, is welcomed at any location. The families staying at Holcombe House are asked to contribute a $25/night donation or file for Medicaid or supplemental benefits. However, NO FAMILY is ever turned away based on their ability to make a financial contribution, and there is NO CHARGE for any of the RMH Houston services located inside the hospitals.

Cristina Vetrano, our Chief Executive Officer, joined Ronald McDonald House Houston in August of 2020. Originally from San Diego, California, Ms. Vetrano was drawn to serving in the non-profit sector since college. With a Bachelor of Science in Finance from San Diego State University and an MBA from the University of Iowa, Ms. Vetrano volunteered in the Peace Corps where she designed a business curriculum and trained teachers in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia for two years. After she returned to the United States, she spent the next 13 years with the American Red Cross in Washington, DC, where she held multiple positions working with technology, disaster services, and the health and safety departments. Moving to Houston, she served as Executive Director of Kid’s Meals, and most recently with CanCare. Her work with CanCare included strategic planning, fundraising, and project development.

Ms. Vetrano has served as CEO of RMH Houston since August of 2020, and leads the Chief Financial Officer, the Chief Advancement Officer, and the Operations Manager. The Operations Manager is also a Licensed Master-Level Social Worker who oversees bachelor's and master's level social work student interns from the University of Houston School of Social Work. The Social Work Interns work closely with the Family Support Services staff to create programs and activities to help the children and parents connect with other guests on similar journeys. RMH Houston also manages a robust group (400+) of volunteers, 38 members of our Board of Directors, 10 members of our Emeritus Board, and 17 members of our Advisory Board.

Each year, RMH Houston's goal is that the families will experience the atmosphere of a loving home, the reduced costs of lodging and meals, the easy access to hospitals, and the support from other families whose children are being treated for a critical illness in the Texas Medical Center. With RMH Houston's intensive supportive wrap-around programs, our efforts are leading the way to provide a continuum of care, which ultimately leads to a more impactful, long-term healthy program for the family.

Ronald McDonald House Houston was founded in 1978 when a group of doctors, parents and community leaders addressed the need to build a safe haven near the Texas Medical Center for families with seriously ill children. What started as a 21-bedroom home near the Astrodome, has grown to include Holcombe House (70 bedrooms) and Houses/Family Rooms/Lounges inside Texas Children’s Hospital, Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, and MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital, and therapeutic programs to help keep the family unit intact as they journey towards a healthy future. RMH Houston recorded the following statistics for 2020: documented 17,496 room check-outs across all locations serving 1,568 unduplicated families. In addition, RMH Houston supported 29,308 outpatient appointments and/or procedures with unlimited access to the Family Rooms inside Texas Children's Hospital and MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital; and supported 6,921 patent admissions across all in-hospital locations. According to the per diem rates in the Texas Medical Center area published by the General Services Administration, RMH Houston saves a family as much as $250 per day with a room check-out and meals. Therefore, in 2020, RMH Houston saved our families $4.3M in food and hotel expenses, thus making a positive impact on Food and Housing Insecurity and the corresponding impact on Social Determinants of Health.