ULS Algarve and Ronald McDonald Foundation join forces to improve children's hospitalization in Faro

The Algarve Local Health Unit (ULS) and the Ronald McDonald Children's Foundation have signed a protocol with the aim of improving the comfort and well-being of families during children's hospitalization at Faro Hospital.

As part of this partnership, parents and caregivers of hospitalized children receive care kits containing personal hygiene products, a blanket, socks, or slippers, allowing them to face this delicate period with greater comfort.

"More than just a kit, this is a gesture of solidarity that transforms the lives of several families and provides them with a more relaxed hospital experience, allowing them to stay close to their sick children," said Ana Patacho, development manager at the Ronald McDonald Children's Foundation.

Tiago Botelho, Chairman of the Board of Directors of ULS Algarve, expressed his gratitude for the partnership and highlighted the importance of the initiative: "We thank the Ronald McDonald Children's Foundation for this gesture of solidarity, which values not only clinical care but also the emotional well-being of families facing such demanding times alongside their children."

Tiago Botelho also challenged the Foundation to create a Ronald McDonald House in Faro, similar to the one in Lisbon and Porto, to accommodate Algarve families with children hospitalized at Faro Hospital, and expressed his willingness to provide facilities for this purpose.

Maria Sousa Pires, executive director of the Ronald McDonald Foundation, highlighted the Foundation's closeness to Algarve families, not only through this hospital care kit project, but also by welcoming Algarve families whose children require treatment or are hospitalized in Lisbon hospitals.

Also present at the signing of the protocol, which took place on August 4, were Giovanni Cerullo, deputy director of the Clinical Directorate of Hospital Health Care, Maria José Castro, director of the Department of Children, Adolescents and Families (DCAF), Teresa Pinto, administrator of DCAF, Elsa Rocha, director of the Pediatrics Service at Faro Hospital, Joaquim Jorge, McDonald's franchisee in the Algarve and Rita Rosa, from the McDonald's restaurant.

The Ronald McDonald Children's Foundation, created in 2000, is a Private Social Solidarity Institution (IPSS) of recognized public utility, with the mission of providing comfort and support to families during their children's hospitalization or treatment, contributing to their emotional, psychological and physical well-being.

Since 2021, the Foundation has provided 25,000 hospital care kits to caregivers of children admitted to more than 14 National Health Service (NHS) hospitals, with the support of partners such as McDonald's Portugal and its franchisees.