Spain Ronald McDonald House Goes Beyond to Support Mothers

June 03, 2021

RMHC Spain Goes Above and Beyond to Support Mothers and Babies

Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) always goes above and beyond to help families in need all over the world. During the COVID-19 pandemic, employees and volunteers at RMHC Spain worked harder than ever to help ensure sick babies were well-fed – and parents had one less thing to worry about during a particularly scary time.

RMHC Provides Resources to NICU Mothers

Back in 2019, RMHC Spain partnered with a breast milk bank in Madrid to fund the creation of an at-home breast milk collection service. At the time, RMHC Spain hoped this partnership would increase the availability of breast milk for babies being treated in local neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) throughout Madrid. Here’s how the at-home collection program worked: Lactating mothers who wished to donate their breast milk would pump their breast milk at home, a vehicle from the Ronald McDonald House in Madrid would come to pick it up from their house and deliver it to the bank, where the milk is analyzed and processed (pasteurized) before it's given to the NICU or other hospitalized patients. Before this program, each mother had to deliver her breast milk directly to the bank.

The Impact of COVID-19 in Spain

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic changed life in Spain for several stressful months. Due to safety concerns and mobility limitations, breast milk deliveries to local breast milk banks were heavily restricted. All the while, the demand for breast milk in NICUs remained the same.

That’s where at-home breast milk collection came in especially handy. We’re proud to say that the RMHC Spain at-home breast milk collection service became the main channel for collecting donated breast milk during COVID-19. The service successfully increased the total amount of breast milk donated, impacting more than 700 families in the Madrid region.

Our Commitment to Support the Global Community

RMHC and its network of local Chapters is committed to improving the health and well-being of children and families around the globe – especially during times of international crisis. To learn more about additional RMHC impact around the world, visit https://www.rmhc.org/about-us/our-impact.

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