THE world’s largest Ronald McDonald House will be built in Brisbane alongside the new Lady Cilento Children’s Hospital after the Queensland Government donated a $5 million parcel of land.
The two existing Ronald McDonald houses in Brisbane provide 23,000 nights of accommodation in Brisbane for those who need to stay close while their children are seriously ill and in hospital.
The latest house will cost $35 million to build, with $15 million supplied by Royal Mater Hospital South East Queensland and $5 million now covered by the gift of government land.
A further $20 million must now be raised and a campaign is underway.
Premier Campbell Newman said providing the land for the accommodation would give more than 450 parents a room for their night while their children were ill.
“When you’re a child receiving inpatient care, often for long periods of time, one of the scariest things about a stay in hospital is being separated from your family,” he said.
“For any parent, but especially those from out of town, it is heart-wrenching to have to leave your child’s bedside and make that long journey back home.
“That’s where Ronald McDonald House steps in as a home away from home for regional families with seriously ill children being treated in hospital.”
Ronald McDonald House spokesman Adam Dando said the land would have “an extraordinary benefit for families of seriously ill children”.
Construction will begin before the end of October, to be open from March 2016.