EXPLORATORY-STUDY OF RESIDENTS PERCEPTIONS OF A HOUSING FACILITY FOR PEDIATRIC-PATIENTS AND FAMILY MEMBERS

The National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Instituti ons (NACHRI) estimates that between 3 million and 4 million children a re hospitalized in the United States each year (NACHRI, personal commu nication, August 13, 1996). As hospital care has become more regionali zed and specialized, families have had to travel greater distances to receive health care (Home Away Front Home, 1989). These treatments can be prolonged, and housing costs associated with this temporary reloca tion can be substantial. The existing literature documents a tremendou s need for low-cost housing near medical centers to minimize lodging c osts and to reduce the time and expense related to traveling to and fr om the hospital as well as the emotional stress experienced by patient s and families (Home Away Front Home, 1989). When residential services are available, parents do not have the additional burden of finding t emporary and affordable housing near the treatment facility. Despite t hese facts, little research has been conducted on residential services for pediatric patients and their families. Ronald McDonald Houses are residential facilities provided for pediatric patients and their fami lies while the child is receiving care at a medical center away from h ome. Two articles have recently been published about these Ronald McDo nald Houses (Hamilton, 1991; Sanford, 1993). These descriptive article s tend to focus mainly on the history of Ronald McDonald Houses, avail able facilities and services, financial information, patient demograph ics, and administrative facts such as occupancy rates. although these facilities appear to reduce the financial and psychological strain on families, empirical data to support this assertion are lacking.