Ronald McDonald Family Room reopens inside Forsyth Medical Center

Following a move and a remodel, the Ronald McDonald Family Room inside the Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center is open again. 

The room serves as a peaceful waiting area for families with children getting medical treatment.

That was the case for Kristin O’Leary, who had spent the last 15 hours in a Forsyth Medical Center lobby after learning her daughter-in-law was in labor. 

When she told a staff member she was an expecting grandmother, she was directed to the newly minted Ronald McDonald Family Room, which was designed exactly for people in her situation. 

"The love that you receive from the time you come in and the entire time you’re in here is lovely," O'Leary says.  

The room is staffed by volunteers who offer families coffee, snacks and most importantly, a sense of comfort during stressful visits to the hospital.

Ann Smith, director of Women's and Children's Health at the medical center, explains how the room benefits families.

"It's not only the medical quality care that we give, but it's really caring for their overall psychological family needs, that interaction that they need and support from their own family," Smith says. 

Smith says the family room welcomes visitors from the pediatric and neonatal intensive care units and the antepartum unit