The Hon Greg Hunt MP
Minister for Health and Aged Care
Families of sick children across Queensland will have better access to much-needed accommodation and support through the newly refurbished Ronald McDonald House in South Brisbane.
The Australian Government invested $2.57 million to renovate and modify areas of Ronald McDonald House, which will be a life saver for regional and Far North Queensland families of very sick children being treated at Queensland Children's and Mater Misericordae hospitals.
The newly refurbished home can now cater for large family groups, families who need longer stays and immuno‑suppressed patients who have been discharged from hospital but must remain in Brisbane for ongoing care.
Providing a warm and welcoming home away from home is crucial to the care and recovery of unwell children, as well as helping to keep families together and close to the care their child needs.
Accommodation at the Ronald McDonald House is free for eligible families of seriously ill children, with priority given to families whose children have been recently diagnosed, seriously injured or who require emergency treatment, as well as families of premature babies.
The South East Queensland (SEQ) chapter of Ronald McDonald House Charities is the largest in Australia, operating in Herston, South Brisbane and inside the Queensland Children's Hospital.
Supporting thousands of families a year since 1991, the SEQ chapter provided a total of 103,894 bed nights for 5,685 families in 2019.
80 per cent of families cared for by SEQ come from Wide Bay and Capricornia, Central Queensland, Mackay, Central West, West Moreton, Pine Rivers, Caboolture, Townsville, Cairns, Far North Queensland and Cape York.
Funding for this refurbishment was provided through the Australian Government's Supporting our Hospitals - Additional Infrastructure and Services program.
