Member News

ROCHESTER, NY — June 26, 2026 — Ronald McDonald House Rochester, NY is proud to celebrate the one-year anniversary of House to Home, its groundbreaking mobile unit designed to bring enhanced telehealth, wraparound supports, essential resources, and comfort directly to families caring for medically complex children across the region. Officially launched on May 27, 2025, the program was created with one mission in mind: eliminating transportation barriers by bringing care directly into a family’s home and community.

House to Home serves some of the region’s most medically complex children, representing the top 1% of pediatric patients who utilize more than 30% of healthcare resources. For many of these families, transportation challenges can create significant barriers to attending appointments and receiving consistent care. Through House to Home, Ronald McDonald House Rochester, NY is helping ensure families remain connected to the medical support they need.

The 24-foot renovated ADA-accessible RV was intentionally designed to navigate both rural roads and narrow city streets, allowing the unit to pull directly into family driveways and meet families where they are. Equipped with advanced telehealth technology through TytoCare, House to Home allows real-time medical assessments to be uploaded directly into a child’s medical record while maintaining continuity with the child’s primary care team and specialists.

In addition to telehealth support, the mobile unit also provides families with hot meals, fresh produce, household supplies, durable medical equipment, clothing, toys, and coordinated mental health and wellness visits.

The impact during the first year has already been significant. Among the 117 patients served, House to Home reduced the no-show rate from 20% to just 1.45%, a 93% decrease — demonstrating strong family engagement, improved access to care, and increased appointment adherence. In the first 10 months of service delivery, 98% of follow-up sub-specialty visits were successfully completed.

The program also demonstrated meaningful improvements in healthcare utilization outcomes. Inpatient utilization decreased from 36% to a 21% monthly average, representing a 42% decrease, while emergency department utilization dropped from 18% to a 13% monthly average, a 28% decrease.

As House to Home celebrates its first anniversary, JoAnne Ryan, RN, MHA, President & CEO of Ronald McDonald House Rochester, NY, shared her thoughts on the program's impact:

“House to Home was created to extend the comfort, care, and support families experience at Ronald McDonald House directly into the communities where they live. By combining state of the art technology with comprehensive wraparound services, we have eliminated the number one barrier to care- Transportation. In partnership with a complex pediatric care division, Ronald McDonald house has found an innovative way to deliver post discharge care that improves outcomes, increases quality decrease costs, enhances the family experience and clears barriers to care. This first year has shown just how transformational it can be to meet families where they are.”

The impact of the program can also be felt directly through the experiences of the families it serves.

“Thank you for all you've done to keep our family close this year, from my son's NICU stay to his open-heart surgery six months later, we've been able to be steps away from him at all times,” shared one House to Home family, “This has brought us all immense comfort and peace of mind. Now that we are home, we are so thankful for the option to have our son checked on at home through House to Home. We couldn't have done this year without the support we've received.”

The innovation behind House to Home has also opened new doors philanthropically for Ronald McDonald House Rochester, NY. The program attracted new community and philanthropic partners, inspired multi-year major gifts, and encouraged existing donors to deepen their investment in the vision. Support received through the initiative successfully funded the capital build, year-one operations, and more than half of the first three years of operational funding. Remaining funding commitments were tied directly to successful first-year outcomes, underscoring the confidence supporters have in the program’s impact and future growth.

As House to Home enters its second year, Ronald McDonald House Rochester, NY remains committed to expanding access to care, reducing barriers for families, and continuing to innovate in ways that strengthen the health and well-being of children and families throughout the region.

By bringing healthcare, comfort, and support directly to families’ doorsteps, House to Home is helping ensure medically complex children receive the care they need while allowing families to remain together during some of life’s most challenging moments.

To learn more about Ronald McDonald House Rochester, NY and the House to Home program, visit www.ronaldmcdonaldhouseroc.org

About Ronald McDonald House Rochester, NY

Ronald McDonald House provides essential services that remove barriers, strengthen families, and promote healing when children need healthcare. By offering a place to stay near the hospital, along with meals, comfort, and community, the House ensures families can remain close, involved, and supported every step of the way.

In addition to Ronald McDonald House Rochester’s flagship program, the 24-room house on Westmoreland, Ronald McDonald House of Rochester operates a seven-room House Within the Hospital at Strong Memorial Hospital, two sleep rooms and a Family Room at Unity Hospital, a Family Room at Golisano Children’s Hospital a Mental Health and Wellness room steps away from the Brighter Days Pediatric Mental Health Urgent Care Center, as well as hospitality carts that provide food, snack bags and other needs at Strong Memorial Hospital, Rochester General Hospital, the University of Rochester Medical Center’s East River Road outpatient clinic and Thompson Health in Canandaigua. Ronald McDonald House Rochester also operates House to Home, which brings comprehensive telehealth and more directly into the homes of patients in the Complex Care program. Overall, Ronald McDonald House Rochester serves over 3000 families per year.