The Helen K. Rossi Volunteer Guest House, including the University of Iowa Children's Hospital Family Suite, are located within University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. They are part of a national non-profit organization that provides family-centered lodging and support services to families and patients far from home during their treatment.
The Helen K. Rossi Guest House is located on the fourth and fifth levels of the south wing of General Hospital. The 14-room Adult Patient and Family Suite is located on fifth level and the new 16-room University of Iowa Children's Hospital Family Suite is located on the fourth floor.
Robin Hennes, manager of guest services at UI Hospitals and Clinics, says that for the most part, rooms are reserved for family members of critically ill patients at UI Hospitals and Clinics. "The University of Iowa Children's Hospital Family Suite rooms serve primarily family members of patients receiving care in the Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care Units. The Adult Patient and Family Suite takes into consideration the severity of the patient's illness as well as the family members' ability to get to and from the hospital," Hennes says.
Because it can be difficult to determine the length of stay for the patient, no reservations are taken. However, families may call 48 hours before they are admitted to reserve a space on the courtesy list.
Hennes says the rooms are very similar to what you find in a hotel - two beds, private bath, television, private phone with voice mail capabilities. The shared amenities include a kitchenette with food pantry, laundry facilities, and a family lounge with computer and Internet access.
"Studies have shown that providing accommodations such as these - close to a loved one - enables family members to partner with the medical team and concentrate on getting their loved one well. The Rossi Guest House has been instrumental in enhancing efforts to deliver a successful healthcare outcome to many patients and their families.
"Generally guests can stay as long as they need to which is why it is difficult to take reservations. The rooms are definitely in demand. We average 25 names on the courtesy list for the Adult Patient Suite and slightly less than that for the pediatric suite," she says. "Since we opened the guest house in December 1997, we have accommodated nearly 5,000 guests. All of those guests were especially thankful to have such comfortable accommodations so close to their loved one.
"A young mother e-mailed me recently, expressing her gratitude for the University of Iowa Children's Hospital Family Suite saying 'It was such a relief to know that I had a place to go rest, a place where I could relax, think, and even cry in my own space if need be. It gave me a chance to allow myself time to think about me and tend to me, knowing that I was only a phone call away if my daughter needed me.'
"This mother sums up what the Rossi Guest House mission is all about: Family members taking care of themselves so they can be strengthened and renewed for the next day of tending to the medical and emotional needs of their loved one," says Hennes. |
