Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas supports families in medical distress

Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect the accurate amount of rooms at the Mueller house.

Across the state of Texas, families brave overwhelming medical situations in which they often have no options but to stay in hospital rooms while supporting their children needing care. Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas has worked since 1985 to ease these experiences with comfortable sleeping spaces, food services and more.

The history

Since its launch, the nonprofit has expanded with family rooms available at Dell Children’s Medical Center, Dell Children’s Medical Center North Campus, Seton Medical Center Austin, St. David’s Medical Center and St. David’s North Austin Medical Center.

Each family room contains a living room, a kitchen and dining area, sleeping rooms, shower and laundry facilities, a quiet room, and snacks and beverages.

Chief Operating Officer Kristin Coulter said the team is working to meet the growing demand for services across the Austin area.

“Recently we have seen a rise in pediatric specialty care medical teams coming into the area,” Coulter said. “That has resulted in a bigger demand for families needing the services that Ronald McDonald House provides. We've seen this accelerated growth specifically in the last 5 to 10 years.”

To meet the growth described by Coulter, the nonprofit is launching a second house at Texas Children’s Hospital North Austin, with an expected opening date in early 2026.

Families who are identified as needing the nonprofit’s services are connected with RMHC CTX through a social worker at the respective hospital where their child is admitted, Coulter said.

“No family ever dreams of having a child in a hospital,” Coulter said. “So the certainty when they’re told that their child has a diagnosis or is critically ill to have a resource like Ronald McDonald House come alongside them and walk along that journey with them is very comforting.”

Once a connection is made, families will receive a phone call from the nonprofit’s family experience team, who will discuss stay details. Families typically stay at the Mueller house, but are also given the option to stay at one of the nonprofit’s family rooms in various partner hospitals.

After check-in, families are introduced to the family support services team, which offers support care, play support and music support. The team is facilitated by former Austin Center for Grief & Loss staff, making it possible for the nonprofit to offer emotional care support in house.

“The gift in all of that is we were able to elevate having team members with that trauma-informed care and licensed professional counseling experience, which really does support the families throughout their entire journey,” Coulter said.

Coulter said the nonprofit is raising funds for two of its campaigns, Be The Light and A Place Like Home, which will fund the nonprofit’s phased plan to open over 40 rooms and eliminate its current waitlist, which typically holds 25-35 families.

RMHC CTX is nearing its monetary goal, which will ensure the plan launches in 2026 and can greatly impact the amount of families receiving care in the area, Coulter said.

“Sadly, so many families at that point are already discharged, or they didn't have a place to stay so they didn’t receive a place to stay, food and all those resources,” Coulter said. “It definitely does impact many of our families financially, not having the resources that we can provide families when they're off the waitlist.”

• 1315 Barbara Jordan Blvd., Ste. 1/2, Austin
• www.rmhc-ctx.org