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Ronald McDonald House Rome Bellosguardo renovates to be even more comfortable and welcoming for families and children guests

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A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held today to inaugurate the renovated rooms of Casa Ronald McDonald Roma Bellosguardo, which since its inception in 2011 has welcomed more than 1,400 families with children in need of hospital care. In fact, thanks to the valuable support of Enel Cuore - an Enel Group Onlus that cares for the needs of people and those living in conditions of fragility and social inequality - all 16 rooms of the Ronald House of Fondazione per l'Infanzia Ronald McDonald were renovated. Present at the event were Fabio Bomarzi, Councillor for Social Policies and Relations with Associations Municipio XII; Elio Tommasetti, President of Municipio XII; Flavia Balestrieri, Councillor Municipio XII; Lucia Celesti, Area F. URP and Reception Services, Health Directorate Children's Hospital Bambino Gesù; Maria Chiara Roti, Director General of the Foundation; and Angelica Carnelos, Secretary General of Enel Cuore.

The rooms of Casa Ronald have undergone a makeover that has made the environment even more comfortable and welcoming for families with children who are guests of the facility, most of whom come from the Oncoematology wards of the Janiculum Children's Hospital Bambino Gesù.

"Thanks to the valuable contribution of Enel Cuore, which contributes concretely to the realization of our projects, we are today proud to show off the renovated 16 rooms of our Ronald House in Rome Bellosguardo. Our goal is to welcome families with children, from the Oncoematology wards of the Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, in beautiful environments. Hospitality also passes through the beauty of places to alleviate suffering during the course of treatment. All this for us is Family Centered Care" commented Maria Chiara Roti, General Manager of the Ronald McDonald Children's Foundation.

"The project to restyle the reception spaces of the Ronald House in Rome is an initiative that Enel Cuore proudly supports because it restores centrality to people and their needs, extending a hand to children and families living in a condition of particular hardship" said Angelica Carnelos, Secretary General of Enel Cuore. "It is precisely in these situations that we see the human and professional qualities of the people who work daily to support and help families. This is also why already in 2020, at the height of the pandemic, we wanted to strengthen our commitment so that Casa Ronald's reception staff could continue to be at the side of patients in total safety."

Casa Ronald Roma Bellosguardo is the second facility opened in the Lazio region, after Casa Ronald Roma Palidoro. It is located within the municipal park of Bellosguardo, just 8 km from the headquarters of the Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital in Gianicolo, the largest pediatric polyclinic and research center in Europe. It has 16 housing units as well as a large outdoor garden, a fully equipped laundry room, a TV room to relax in, and a playroom for children of all ages. Casa Ronald Roma Bellosguardo welcomed more than 40 families for more than 4,000 overnight stays only in 2022. 

These numbers add up to those of the second Casa Ronald in the Lazio region. Casa Ronald McDonald Roma Palidoro - open since 2008, inside the Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital complex - has welcomed more than 20.000 families over the years, more than 1.000 only in 2022.

 

Foundation for Childhood Ronald McDonald Italy

The Fondazione per l'Infanzia Ronald McDonald Italia ETS is a nonprofit organization, established in 1974 in the United States and in 1999 in Italy, with the goal of creating, finding and supporting projects that directly contribute to improving the health and well-being of children and their families. A seriously ill child often has to seek treatment away from his or her hometown. Ronald Foundation aims to build, purchase or operate Ronald Homes located adjacent to hospital facilities and Ronald McDonald Family Rooms, located directly within pediatric wards, to provide hospitality and care for sick children and their families during the period of hospital treatment or therapy. Ronald Foundation keeps the family close when treatment is far away, because being together improves their well-being. Through its programs - Casa Ronald and Family Room - it not only provides access to excellent care, but also supports families, allows them to be actively involved in the care of their children and encourages the implementation of the Family Centered Care model of care. Today there are 4 Houses in Italy: two in Rome, one in Brescia and one in Florence, plus a Family Room within the Niguarda Hospital in Milan, one within the S. Orsola Hospital in Bologna, one within the Cesare Arrigo Children's Hospital in Alessandria and one within the Careggi University Hospital in Florence. Since 1999, in the course of its activities in Italy, Fondazione has supported more than 50,000 children and families, offering more than 270,000 overnight stays.