Integrative Analysis

The impact of Ronald McDonald House on patients and their families has been documented by external evidence-based research. Franck, Gay, & Rubin (2013) conducted a study that found that the family-centered care that Ronald McDonald House programs provide enhances the psychosocial well-being of seriously ill children all while helping them cope better.

In Houston, the internal family surveys show that 92% of families experience less financial burden because of the services provided by RMHH, which are carried out through funding from donors and the hands-on assistance of volunteers (Rolls, 2021). In addition, 94% of families feel a positive impact from the support of other families in the house (Rolls, 2021). Although the percentage of satisfaction presented by families is high, there is much to be uncovered when it comes to the topic of targeting food insecurity among this population. One recommendation would be to continue to use of evidence-based research when it comes to choosing nutritious meals for families. Keeping in mind the various cultures and ethnic backgrounds is also needed to ensure that all families feel welcomed and included.

RMHH represents a public health agency in that it allows partnership between the organization and the medical community to address health needs for families through the support of volunteers, community advisory council members, and community members. Although families who visit any RMHH site need hospitality assistance, their needs for meal assistance and proper nutrition reach far greater than just a bed to sleep on.

The need for public health to address the issue of food insecurity is required, however such impediments that prevent this issue from being discussed is the inadequate capacity to carry out the essential functions in assessment. By partnering with hospitals, RMHH could receive information, and vice versus, from families who are food insecure prior to arriving to RMHH so that they receive specialized attention in receiving optimal resources and meals during their stay.

RMHH is aware of the importance of inclusion and diversity as the staff is required to attend training that educates team members on respecting people from all walks of life. One way RMHH is adapting its efforts to cultural values and practices of the service population is by ensuring that meals being provided to families serve different groups of people each week. RMHH methodically plans and manages their meals to include a wide variety of foods for all, something that was not done in the past. Although families receive culturally diverse meals each week, the impact and preference of these meals are not evaluated therefore RMHH remains unsure if these meals are benefitting food preference for house guests. One recommendation to evaluate families’ satisfaction is by implementing the RMHH Food Choice Questionnaire for all house guests. By collecting this data, RMHH would be able to change up menus according to the guests' preferences.

RMHH receives some funding that helps support family programming in the form of grants and donations. However, in order for programming to work in optimal conditions, more funding, specifically government funding, for programs such as the JoyFULL Eats Menu Program should be considered. Although RMHH is a non-profit organization, state funding should provide more grants for these programs as they benefit families who care for severely ill children in the hospital. In addition, establishing an advocacy group would help in voicing support and publicly recommend the assistance of RMHH programming to assist families in more than just organizational support but also provided resources outside of the organization thus radiating the need for much needed aid.

The type of leadership that RMHH models itself is through collaborative leadership. Beginning from the CEO to the front desk personnel, employees are led through an open process, unifying goals that benefit the families, build trust among everyone (staff and families), and promotes diversity through a variety of programming. The leadership in RMHH is welcoming and always available to lend a helping hand, however, there are some things that the leadership can do to enhance an already positive work environment. One recommendation would be to recognize and reward team members that continuously go above and beyond the call of duty. Many of the staff that demonstrated grace and kindness to everyone, staff, and families alike, and celebrating those team members that exemplify the mission and vision of RMHH could give the team a much-needed boost of inspiration.

Communication is key in any field to obtain positive outcomes and educate individuals on specific health issues. In RMHH, they do a phenomenal job when it comes to voicing issues, such as food insecurity, to current stakeholders and donors. It is critical to share this information with those already helping can continue to support the families with a new perspective. However, much work must be done when it comes to reaching new stakeholders and informing them of the mission and vision of RMHH. One way that effective communication can be enhanced to reach new stakeholders and donors is through marketing. Considering the possibility of contracting a marketing team to work on informing potential stakeholders on who RMHH is and what they do for families.

The team member in charge of addressing the issue of hunger among RMHH families is the Food Operations Manager. While she does a phenomenal job in focusing on providing meals for families, she is the only person who actively works with volunteers and stakeholders to provide meals for families. The Food Operations Manager does receive support from colleagues who help serve meals. Yet some improvements need to be made when it comes to interprofessional collaboration. The Food Operations Manager has support in other areas yet remains to receive support in focusing on providing healthy, well-balanced meals for all families. Adding additional support for the Food Operations team would help tremendously, in that, the manager may be able to focus on researching more about how to best support families, from a meal’s perspective.

For an organization such as RMHH, they understand the importance of systems thinking and taking the approach of establishing solid relationships with stakeholders and donors. Without stakeholders and donors, vital RMHH programming would not be possible. RMMH currently collaborates with community-based partners such as HEB, The Houston Food Bank, Texas Children’s Hospital, Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital, MD Anderson Hospital, Rice University, TMC Hospitality Group, Houston Junior League, Houston Junior Woman’s Club, HESS Corporation, and Second Servings. Through their work with each partnership, RMHH works diligently to create a comfortable and stress-free atmosphere for families who already have so much on their minds. Through these partnerships, RMHH is able to involve key stakeholders, such as HEB, to provide ready meals to combat the issue of food insecurity.

Although RMHH current community partners deliver through their promises of helping families, the number of meals for all families to be able to eat 3 times a day, 7 days a week is sometimes not enough. One way to enhance their systems thinking approach is by expanding their meal services outside of the organization. Once families leave RMHH, they are left in the same circumstances they came in, if not worst, therefore partnering with HEB, as an example, to develop a program where families can receive meals at home for a limited time until they are back on their feet, would support families in ending hunger.