Montgomery County has become the North Houston Medical Center for people who live in Harris County, Montgomery County, Walker, Grimes, and surrounding counties. The six hospitals located along I-45 and Texas 242 have become a regional medical hub of diversified services. Those hospitals include:
• CHI St. Luke’s Hospital
• HCA Houston Healthcare Conroe
• MD Anderson Treatment Center
• Memorial Hermann Medical Center
• Methodist Hospital The Woodlands
• Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands
The Rotary Club of The Woodlands saw a need to assist those traveling long distances for the specialized medical assistance provided in central Montgomery County. Families travel with their sick loved ones to provide a sense of home and love with those patients either in the hospital or outpatients receiving a variety of health care options like cancer treatments.
Their answer to this need is similar to what McDonald’s Corporation has done in the internationally renowned Medical Center on the south side of Houston. The McDonald House in Houston is “a home away from home” for families with children in the intensive care unit at Texas Children’s Hospital. “The Ronald McDonald House at Texas Children’s Hospital offers a supportive, home-like environment for families of children being treated in the neonatal, pediatric or cardiovascular intensive care unit. With a cozy living area, dining area and fully-stocked kitchenette, families have the comforts of home only steps from their sick child.” The Rotary Club of The Woodlands has copied this concept for out-of-area patients and their families needing short-term living conditions. Rotary House is a Texas Non-Profit Corporation and a 501 (c)(3). Fundraisers and charitable donations are provided to allow the Rotary House to assist these families.
Plans are being made to build a permanent facility for families to use while receiving medical treatment in Montgomery County. In the interim, arrangements have been made with hotels and apartments that are nearby to the hospitals to host these families in rooms with kitchenettes. Rotary Volunteers keep this house available to those that truly need it.
If you know of someone who needs temporary housing for their family while receiving such care as an out of town patient, you are encouraged to direct them to their social worker at the hospital. To arrange to use one of our apartments, contact the Social Worker at your hospital. They will assist you to determine if you are eligible and provide you with the simple application (see below), including obtaining credit card information for payment of the one-time fee. The cost to Guests is $130, regardless of length of stay.
The Social Worker will submit each application to the Rotary Eligibility Committee for review and approval. No applications should be submitted directly to Rotary House. To check the availability of Rotary House Living Facilities, Social Workers may contact Rotary House. If a unit is not available, an applicant may request to be placed on our waiting list.
In reviewing your application, the Eligibility Committee will consider the following factors:
• Preference will be given to those living more than 25 miles away.
• Lodging is generally limited to individuals directly involved in a patient’s care. Extended family members may stay in the same room if adequate bed space is available.
• The maximum stay is 3 months but longer stays may be considered.
• There is no age minimum for patients.
Rotary House serves all who are in need, without regard to race, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, economic status, or political affiliation. Congratulations to the Rotary Club of The Woodlands for this wonderful service and on your 50th Anniversary.
To learn more about Rotary, please email Ron Saikowski at rsaikowski@comcast.net.
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