How to Stay
Ronald McDonald House New Orleans
We offer a comfortable, supportive place to stay for immediate family members of pediatric patients, from birth through age 21, who are receiving medical care in the South Louisiana area. A referral from a medical facility, social worker, or healthcare professional is required. Families must live more than 30 miles from the House (outside of city limits), and all guests 18 and older must pass a background check.
As a nonprofit, we rely on community support to sustain our mission. Families are welcome to make a voluntary donation to help support future guests, but donations are never required and are not connected to eligibility or length of stay. No family is ever turned away or denied services based on their ability to contribute.
Please note that a referral does not guarantee room availability.
Ronald McDonald House is a home-away-from-home that keeps families together. We provide housing for immediate family members of pediatric patients, from birth to age 21 who are being treated at medical facilities in the South Louisiana area.
When you and your family stay at our House, we want you to find the comfort and care of a home. Most importantly, we want you to find the support you need to focus on what matters most – helping your child heal.
Criteria for Eligibility
- Families must live more than 30 miles from the Ronald McDonald House (outside of city limits).
- Families who live within 30 miles may be eligible if their child is in the CICU, PICU, NICU, or ICU. Additional exceptions may be considered on a case‑by‑case basis.
- The patient receiving treatment must be 21 years old or younger.
- Each room accommodates up to four people, including adults and children. One room is provided per family; requests for an additional room for extended family members require approval from the Program Director.
However, when the house reaches 75% capacity, the following prioritization will take precedence:
- Patients of the host hospital (Mannings Family Children’s Hospital) receiving intensive care (NICU, PICU, CICU), or who need long-term, inpatient care,
- Patients of all other area hospitals receiving intensive care (NICU, PICU, CICU) or needing long-term care,
- Then, Patients being hospitalized for short-term, inpatient, or surgical care in an area hospital, and
- Patients receiving outpatient, intensive medical care services from the host hospital (Mannings Family Children’s Hospital ) or other licensed medical providers. Distance of the family's permanent residence from the hospital is a factor in providing housing, as are other considerations such as transportation, no telephone, breastfeeding mother, need for training before the patient is discharged, etc.