House Policies
Welcome
to the Ronald McDonald House. Our mission is to provide families with children
who must receive medical treatment in the
Staying
at the Ronald McDonald House, however, is a privilege. Thus, we expect that our
families act accordingly, by following these policies. The Ronald McDonald
House reserves the right to ask any family or family member to check out or
refuse any family admittance. Failure of any family member or guest to follow
these policies could result in your family being asked to leave the House.
The
Ronald McDonald House serves up to 18 families at one time. We expect our
families to clean up after themselves, complete weekly chores and be
considerate of others.
1) Checkout: Please notify the office of
your checkout time. You are required to check out once your child no longer
requires medical treatment from an Omaha-area health-care provider. You are
required to clean your room prior to checking out. All items on the Check-Out
List must be completed. Please bring your keys (room, medicine and pantry),
baby equipment, payment and signed Check-Out List to the office at check-out
time.
2) Payment: The room fee at the RMH is
$7.50 per night. If payment is a financial hardship for your family, please
notify the office. You will receive an invoice at checkout, at which time
payment is expected or a payment plan developed. We ask that families staying
long-term pay on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis.
3) Liability: The Ronald McDonald House
is not liable for any personal injury or property loss that occurs during your
stay at the House.
4) Supervision of Children: Parents or guardians are
responsible for supervising their children at all times. Volunteers and staff
are not permitted to supervise children. Children under 8 must be directly
supervised by an individual at least 16 years old. Children between 8 and 15
may use common areas of the House, with the exception of the kitchen, without a
parent or guardian present; however, a parent or guardian must remain in the
House. Children 16 or older may remain in the House without a parent or
guardian in the House during daytime hours.
5) Child Care: Families are welcome to
obtain child-care for children under the age of 16. Staff or volunteers cannot
provide this service nor can we recommend someone to provide this service.
Staff
must approve all exceptions to this policy.
6) Smoking: Smoking is not permitted
inside the house or on the grounds except in the gazebo.
7) Alcohol, Drugs and
Weapons: No
alcoholic beverages, illegal drugs or weapons (guns, knives and others) are
allowed in the house or on the property at any time.
8) Medicine: To ensure the safety of all
children staying in the House, medicine requiring refrigeration must be kept in
the locked medicine refrigerator in the pantry. Keys are available in the
office. All other medication, including nonprescription drugs, and hospital
supplies must be kept in your room.
9) Illness: If you become ill while you
are staying the House, you must notify a staff member. We must minimize risk to
the families staying at the House and will advise you as to the procedures you
must follow.
10) Quiet Hours:
11) Guests: We welcome your guests to
the House. We do require that if they will be staying overnight that you
register them at the office and complete an “Infectious Concerns Information”
sheet. We need to be aware of the count of our guests for emergency purposes
and must screen all occupants for health issues so that we may keep our
children safe. We also need to be notified when a guest will no longer be
staying at the house so we may update our records.
12) Absences: We recognize that there may
be times that you will need to return home or to go out of town during your
stay at the House. Absences cannot exceed two nights or three days without
staff approval. You must notify a staff member of an absence, no matter the
length. You also must make arrangements for your housekeeping tasks to be
completed. The room fee is your responsibility during this period. All
exceptions must be approved by a staff member.
13) Doors: All exterior doors in the
House are secured. Please do not admit anyone you do not know. Ask the party to
wait and locate the family that the party is visiting or a staff member or
volunteer. Please make sure all doors shut when you enter the premises. Under
no circumstances should any doors be propped open or left unlocked.
14) Attire: Shoes or socks, and shirts
must be worn when in all public areas of the House -- the kitchen, public rest
rooms, laundry room, playroom, recreation room, living room and sun porch.
15) Needle Use: Please inform a staff
member if you will be using needles in your room. Needle boxes must be used for
the disposal of needles. The Ronald McDonald House will provide you with a
needle box if you do not have one. Please return the box -- and used needles --
to the office when you check out.
16) Length of Stay: A family’s length of stay
cannot exceed 15 months. The RMHC Board of Directors may grant an extension.
The appeal will be considered if it is determined that the health issues of the
patient will be resolved within a short time frame. The request for an
extension must be written by the parents. This should be accompanied by a
statement from the child’s primary physician indicating the estimated length of
recovery. A family whose length of stay has expired may reapply for admission
if such request is made after the family and patient has returned to their
permanent residence and the patient has been released from the current medical
situation by a physician.
--To make repairs.
--To inspect the room.
--To search for weapons, drugs or other contraband.
--Any other emergency or purpose that the staff
deems as reasonable or necessary.
I
have read the above state policies and agree that I, my family and my guests
will abide by these policies during our stay at the House. I understand that it
is my responsibility to inform my family and guest(s) of these policies
Responsible
Party:__________________________________ Date:_______________
Witness:__________________________________________
Date:_______________