Three southern mayors have joined forces to slam public health authorities over their stance on a possible Ronald McDonald House in the new Dunedin Hospital.
Central Otago Mayor Tim Cadogan, Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher and Clutha Mayor Bryan Cadogan have written to Southern District Health Board (SDHB) commissioners urging them to "listen to the voices" of those in their three rural Otago districts, who the mayors say would be most affected by the "movement against Ronald McDonald House".
"The value of Ronald McDonald houses already established throughout New Zealand to families in our districts has been demonstrated time and time again," the mayors said.
"The tyranny of distance adds significant emotional and financial burdens to those affected by illness or injury in their children requiring hospitalisation."
Public Health South clinical leader Dr Keith Reid said earlier this week that any Ronald McDonald House proposal for Dunedin "contradicts basic public health principles".
"The Southern DHB executive will recognise that this view is consistent with the mandate held by all DHBs to promote healthy behaviour," Dr Reid said.
"While the public health perspective will be one of many that will be considered with regard to the Dunedin Hospital rebuild, I hope that the importance of the DHB actively role-modelling behaviour that supports and promotes good health will be the prevailing position at the end of any debate," he said.
Public Health Association Otago-Southland branch chairwoman Mary-Ann McKibben had also spoken up against having a Ronald McDonald House in Dunedin. She said the SDHB should follow Counties Manukau and eschew links with the fast-food giant.
On the advice of public health staff, Auckland health management recently dropped plans for a Ronald McDonald House at Middlemore Hospital.
The three southern mayors said facilities provided by Ronald McDonald charities "greatly relieved" the burdens experienced by families whose children were hospitalised far from home.
"We accept there are concerns regarding McDonald’s restaurants being associated with the charity behind Ronald McDonald House, but in our view it utterly beggars belief that organisations charged with promoting the wellbeing of the people of our communities can put a utopic[sic] vision for the diet of the community ahead of the vital service that Ronald McDonald Houses provide our people at their most desperate times."
Ronald McDonald House Charities chief executive Wayne Howett said last week his organisation had had "initial positive conversations" with Southern DHB about the possibility of a facility in Dunedin.
SDHB chief executive Chris Fleming said the SDHB had not been formally approached by any charities or external sponsors about the Dunedin Hospital rebuild, "but these are likely to become discussions we will have and we look forward to considering a range of views on these and other issues".
"As with any decision associated with the new hospital and our health services, matters relating to naming rights or sponsorship will be fully considered at both the clinical and organisational levels before we make any decisions.
"We have heard and appreciate Public Health South’s views as well as the views of others."
There was a Ronald McDonald Family Room at the Southland Hospital, providing a space for the families of children receiving care in the children’s and neonatal wards, he said.
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It is all very well for some noisy health "experts" to decry Ronald McDonald homes. They are sitting around in their high paid public service jobs. They are specialists in meddling in other people lives in the guise of telling us what is good for us. To have an opinion other than theirs is just foolishness.
What they can't do is explain how people from out of town can support their children whilst in hospital, be it for a few days or months without such accomodation. It is critical for the health of the patients that family members can be close during treatment. Without institutions such as Ronald McDonald house is can be financially crippling or just impossible for families to be near to support their ill children.
I just wonder what the clinical outcomes are for children who have family support compared to those without it. I suspect the later have worse outcomes. And that slower recovery would also add to hospital costs. Maybe that is something these health experts could study, rather than just moan about Ronald McDonald houses origins.