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A bedroom in the new Ronald McDonald House Charities Family Room inside the Primary Children's Hospital Larry H. Miller Family Campus in Lehi.

Courtesy Intermountain Health

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A living room in the new Ronald McDonald House Charities Family Room inside the Primary Children's Hospital Larry H. Miller Family Campus in Lehi.

Courtesy Intermountain Health

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Laundry facilities in the new Ronald McDonald House Charities Family Room inside the Primary Children's Hospital Larry H. Miller Family Campus in Lehi.

Courtesy Intermountain Health

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A bathroom in the new Ronald McDonald House Charities Family Room inside the Primary Children's Hospital Larry H. Miller Family Campus in Lehi.

Courtesy Intermountain Health

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A bedroom in the new Ronald McDonald House Charities Family Room inside the Primary Children's Hospital Larry H. Miller Family Campus in Lehi.

Courtesy Intermountain Health

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Intermountain Primary Children’s Hospital in Lehi has added a Ronald McDonald Family Room to accommodate families who need a place to stay while their children are being treated.

The 3,200-square-foot space, located at the Larry H. Miller Family Campus, opened Thursday and is expected to serve over 3,000 families each year.

“Our young patients need their parents by their side, and parents need a place to rest and recharge so they can be there for their kids,” said Lisa Paletta, president of the Miller Family Campus, in a news release. “We’re so grateful to have a Ronald McDonald Family Room at Primary Children’s Hospital in Lehi to fill this vital need.”

The family room includes four private nap and sleep rooms, laundry facilities, showers, a guest computer bar, a living room and a fully stocked kitchen with community-supported meals and snacks.

Ronald McDonald House Charities is a nonprofit organization founded in 1974 with the goal of supporting and improving the health and well-being of children, according to the organization’s website. The program also aims to reduce stress and financial burdens from families when they have to travel far from home to access health care for their children. In addition, the organization states that family proximity to the hospital provides important psychological benefits, parents sleep better, and families have reported more positive hospital experiences and a greater ability to participate in their child’s care.

“We’ve been relieving the day-to-day burdens for families with hospitalized children for 35 years in Salt Lake City,” said Ronald McDonald House Charities CEO Carrie Romano, in the release. “Now we’ll be offering free lodging, food and compassionate respite care here in Lehi so families can focus on what’s most important — the healing and well-being of their children.”

Kacie Pecor, Ronald McDonald House Charities’ chief development and engagement officer, said the family room also provides local individuals and groups with opportunities to serve families in need.

“Our work is fueled by financial donors and also by local volunteers who help with meals for families in the Family Room,” she added in the release. “We’re inviting local families, church groups, business groups and more to sign up now, help prepare and serve meals to these amazing families.”

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