Ronald McDonald House Charities Hawaii Launches Hospitality Cart Program for NICU Families at Kapiʻolani Medical Center

RMCH-HI Hospitality Cart at Kapiolani Medical Center

Honolulu, HI – Ronald McDonald House Charities Hawaii (RMHC Hawaii) is excited to announce the launch of the Ronald McDonald House Hospitality Cart program at Kapiʻolani Medical Center for Women & Children, aimed at providing comfort and support to families with babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

Starting today, Thursday, June 13, the Ronald McDonald House Hospitality Cart will be available to NICU families, offering a variety of activities and refreshments to help pass the time and provide a sense of normalcy during their stay at the hospital. The cart will include activities for adults such as adult coloring books, cards, crossword puzzles, and journals. For children, there will be age-appropriate activities to keep them entertained and engaged.

In addition to activities, the cart will also offer a selection of beverages including coffee, tea, hot cocoa, bottled water, and assorted snacks – all free of charge for the families to enjoy.

“We understand that having an infant in the NICU can be a stressful and emotional experience for families,” said Ed Nishioka, President and Executive Director at RMHC Hawaii. “Our Hospitality Cart is an extension of our mission to provide a small sense of comfort and support for families with children in the hospital. Regardless if they are staying in one of our homes or not, this is our way to help ease some of their burdens when they are visiting their child.”

“As our NICU team cares for these precious little babies, we’re so thankful that their families will feel more at home through the services of the Ronald McDonald House Hospitality Cart,” said Gidget Ruscetta, chief operating officer of Kapi‘olani Medical Center. “Kapi‘olani’s NICU is a vital resource for so many babies who need highly specialized care from all across our state and the Pacific region. This act of generosity by the Ronald McDonald House Charities Hawaii is a way of letting these families know that they have a whole community supporting them in their journey.”

The launch of the Ronald McDonald House Hospitality Cart program is made possible through a long-standing partnership with the Kapiʻolani Medical Center. For more information about the Ronald McDonald House Hospitality Cart program at Kapiʻolani Medical Center, please contact Kanoe Paauhau, Director of Operations of RMHC Hawaii, at or call 808-973-5683 ext. 225.

About Ronald McDonald House Charities Hawaii

Ronald McDonald House Charities Hawaii, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non–profit organization providing a home–away–from–home for seriously ill children and their families. RMHC Hawaii has been providing programs and partnerships aimed at improving the lives of children in Hawaii and the Pacific region for 37 years. RMHC Hawaii operates two residential facilities to assist families that have children with serious health conditions and must fly to Oahu for critical medical treatments not available where they live. Lengths of stay vary widely depending on diagnosis, but can range from several days to several months. Nearly 15,000 families have spent nearly 140,000 nights at Ronald McDonald Houses in Hawaii, receiving assistance from RMHC family programs and services. The House strives to foster emotional, spiritual, and compassionate support to all who live within—keeping families close to the medical care they need and to each other.