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Ronald McDonald House Steps in to Provide Respite for Frontline Medical Professionals

Portland, OR. As Oregon responds to the global COVID-19 pandemic, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Oregon & SW Washington (RMHC) has stepped in to provide the hospitality for frontline medical workers here in Portland.

In partnership with Oregon Health and Sciences University, RMHC has temporarily re-purposed the Rood Family Pavilion on Portland’s South Waterfront making available 76 comfortable, clean rooms for frontline workers.

These rooms are providing much-needed respite to medical professionals who are working long hours on the front lines. RMHC is honored to temporarily welcome them into their new “home away from home.”

From RMHC:

RMHC remains committed to continuing to safely house and feed the seriously ill children and families that have made our four Ronald McDonald Houses their home across the state of Oregon. All families originally staying at the Rood Family Pavilion have been relocated to RMHC’s other Portland-area Ronald McDonald House on the campus of Randall Children’s Hospital Northeast Portland.

“In addition to housing and feeding nearly 100 pediatric patients and families members in three Ronald McDonald Houses, we are also enabling health care providers from across the region to step up, and step in, in unprecedented ways to keep us all safe. I have never been prouder.” states Jessica Jarratt Miller, CEO of RMHC of Oregon & SW Washington. “I’m incredibly grateful to our partners and dedicated staff for so quickly and effectively pivoting to mobilize our resources for the greater good of the community.”

In the last two years, RMHC has experienced a 126% increase in demand for our programming and has offered comfort and support, home-cooked meals, and a comfortable bed to more than 35,000 families since opening in 1984.

You can make a difference right now by helping to ensure that that Ronald McDonald House Charities can continue to care for the most vulnerable of our community, be it medical professionals or families in crisis. Give now at RMHCOregon.org.

For more information about the work RMHC does to support the community and to stay up-to-date about their COVID-19 response, visit us online at RMHCOregon.org.

Elisa Klein

I’ve been a professional journalist and writer since 1987, (and long-time reporter for KOIN-TV.) As a nationally published reporter, with a Master’s Degree in Journalism, I love to report positive news and information. Journalism has also connected me with another non-profit where I served as a leader; the Northwest’s biggest writer’s organization: The Willamette Writers.