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- Knowing a few tips will help your stay at the
Haven House in St. Louis Missouri be more
pleasant.
I stayed at the Haven House in St. Louis the past two days on our visit to see
Dr. Dobbs at the Shrine Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri, arriving Sunday
afternoon December 16th, 2007 and leaving Tuesday morning. I was
curious how it would stack up to the Iowa City Ronald McDonald House where
I've stayed extensively over the past seven years. Sadly, it doesn't
compare.
Arriving “blind”, not knowing what to expect in the least beyond a general and
vague notion (based on my RMD House experiences), I decided I needed to
share with anyone else who might stay at Haven House in the future.
We checked in at 4 o'clock on Sunday afternoon after traveling 895 miles
since 8 a/m that morning via car and airplane from Florida. When I say “we”
I mean myself and my three children ages 9, 4 and 1. We signed the
necessary paper work, were given a key, walked to our room, and then left to
our own defenses. Understanding dinner would be provided, we dropped
off our bags and went to the dining room.
Haven House Tip #1: Bring your own groceries
or budget to eat out.
Dinner on Sunday night, after being delayed at the airport and arriving
starving half to death, was a Styrofoam container holding one piece of cold
fried chicken and one small plastic dish of potato salad. The bottle of water
was optional, but since it was the only drink available we took it. Cold, bland,
rubbery chicken. I warmed the 1 piece each for myself and the children in
the microwave, then we had warm, bland, rubbery chicken. You probably
know children won't eat potato salad. So we went to bed that night
exhausted and still hungry having had one drum stick and a bottle of water
for “Supper”. In the cooler where these containers were stacked were notes
reading, “ONE PER GUEST.” Now if you go to the Iowa City Ronald
McDonald House, there aren't the notes, the idea is “Eat what you want, get
your fill, enjoy!”
The next morning we heard they served breakfast at 7 o'clock AM. Great,
because my shuttle to the Shrine hospital left at 7:30. I hustled my kids to
the dining room to eat at 7:00. Breakfast finally came on at 7:15. We were
given one small ice-cream scoop of under cooked (half raw) scrambled eggs,
boiled sausage patties, one slice of toast, and a small carton of skim milk.
My baby immediately dumped his milk over his plate, over flowing on the
table, and then on to his clean “Going To The Doctor” cloths. There is no
sink or towels available so I had to go to the kitchen and ask the cook for
paper towels which she provided – but now it's nearly time for our ride and I
have to change his cloths in our room which is quite a long distance from the
dining hall. The other two boys wouldn't touch their food, and frankly, I
couldn't blame them.
Fortunately for us, a friend I have who lives in the city took us out for dinner
that night, but I saw dinner provided by HH – another Styrofoam container
with a drum stick in it. This time it looked roasted instead of fried, but none
too appetizing and not enough to fill a person up. My 9 year old boy could
have eaten three, at least.
Breakfast on Tuesday morning was one half-raw fried egg, one very thin
slice of bacon, a biscuit, and sweet gravy on top the biscuit. I've never had
sweet sausage gravy. I assure you I'll never have it again, either. My kids
would not touch the half raw egg or the sugary gravy, so they had one very
thin slice of bacon and a carton of skim milk to hold them all day as we left to
the airport at 9:45 and didn't arrive home until 5 PM that night.
Haven house has small kitchens on each wing of it's house, however, unlike
the Ronald McDonald House that has donated groceries one can eat, HH
has no such stock of food whatsoever. Plan to buy and cook your own food
there or eat out. Lunch at HH is not provided.
Coffee is not provided either. If you've ever stayed in Iowa City at the RMD
House, you know there is a public coffee pot with all the coffee you want to
make, at whatever hour in the day you want to make it. At HH, they make a
pot at breakfast, and that is all. The kitchen on your wing will have a coffee
pot, but you have to bring your own coffee grounds, or hope you can catch
the cook and beg a few off of her before she goes home. If you will be
arriving after a long, hard day of traveling with children and would give your
front teeth for a hot cup of coffee when you arrive, you better have some in
your suit case!
Haven House Tip #2: Bring your own alarm
clock.
Again, unlike the Ronald McDonald House in Iowa City, you will not find a
clock radio in your room. I called my husband and asked him to give me a
wake up call so we didn't miss our doctor's appointment on Monday morning.
Haven House Tip #3: Bring your own soap.
You may, or may not, be provided with bath soap. (Iowa City has an entire
closet full of soaps! And tooth brushes, tooth paste, lotion, soap....should
you need it)
Haven House Tip #4: Bring a calling card.
I heard through the grape vine there is free long distance, but I am not sure
as nobody working there informed me of this. Your room will NOT have a
telephone. Public phones are located in the hallways. I have no idea how
you'd receive a phone call at HH.
Haven House Tip #5: Plan on going to bed really
early.
You are not allowed to stay up out of your room past 9:45 PM, so if you like
to watch the nightly news that comes on about 10:00 PM, forget it. No late
night cooking, either. At the RMD House in Iowa City you can cook yourself
a meat loaf at three o'clock in the morning if you want, but HH is not so
accommodating. You can stay up all night watching TV quietly in the
commons room at the RMD too, but not so at HH. There are no TV's in
rooms at either location.
Haven House Tip #6: Block open any door you exit
from, except the front door.
Your key will NOT let you back in. If you want to take your kids out or step
out for some fresh air, block the door open with something or you will be
locked out.
If you stay at HH during a snow storm (or any period of time afterwards when
snow is on the ground) be careful, walk ways and such are not kept cleared
or de-iced well.
Haven House Tip #7: Shopping.
There is a Burger King next door, and a Walgreen's store for whatever you
may need if you want to walk over and get it. We were there in a foot of
frozen snow with the sidewalks covered though so I didn't go to either place
dragging along a 1 year old, a 4 year old and a 9 year old child through the
snow in traffic (no side walk access in the snow, only the street was clear and
it's too busy to walk children on).
Haven House Tip #8: Indoor Fun.
Although nobody told us about this, we did discover there is a huge gym with
a weight room and toys located down the hallway behind the dining room
where your kids can play, also there is a room full of craft supplies. The girl
who checked us in did not tell us anything about these we just wandered
around and found them, so go wander and see what else you can find.
There is also a computer room / library, again, we found that on our own,
nobody bothered to tell us.
The Haven House is more like a nursing home with it's dark halls and
extreme silence. It's even decorated much like a nursing home. It's not
bright or fun or friendly in my personal experience. The food totally sucks
and the staff wasn't what I'd call accommodating or helpful or happy to have
us there. Where the RMD in Iowa City encourages all guests to mingle and
be together and enjoy their stay and relieve their stresses with an entire slew
of cheerful volunteers to help with every task, the HH is quite the contrary,
seeming to encourage solitude and low voices and no help.
Haven House Tip # 9: Fill Out A Meal Ticket!!!
Unless you fill out a meal ticket, you won't get one of their really gross
breakfasts or dinners. You will find these little slips of paper on a table as
you enter the dining hall. Bring your own pencil or pen to write with. I don't
encourage you to eat at HH, but if you are stuck there in the snow like we
were with no other means to eat, then don't forget to sign up for your “meal”.
Haven House Tip #10: Pack Light!
Be prepared to haul all our own luggage, and if you take a HH shuttle to the
hospital as we did – well, our driver hopped in and sat by the heater while
myself and another woman had to load all our own strollers, bags and
children with out any help on the icy parking lot. In fact she wasn't even
going to back the fan out of the 12 inches of snow before we loaded until I
asked her to please do it so we didn't drag our kids and buggies through the
deep snow to get in.
Haven House Tip #11: Fill Out a Shuttle Ride
Request!
If you don't sign up for a shuttle ride prior to needing the ride, you won't get a
ride. You'll find these at the front desk.
General Information:
Knowing what I know now, my next stay at the Haven House of St. Louis might
be a little better. I would bring my own clock, coffee and groceries. Of
course I have no idea how I would get my own groceries being there with no
car of my own.... :( but I suppose I could see what Walgreen had to sell and
carry it over on foot, or eat at Burger King.
I know now that there is a place for my boys to run and play (in the gym) if
the weather is bad, so if you're stuck there, seek out the gym. However, I
was disappointed with the Haven House all in all – for a place that is there to
serve parents with children who have medical issues, it wasn't a place that
“takes care of you”. My only other experience with such a facility is the Iowa
City Ronald McDonald House where they completely spoil a person rotten!
The Shrine System that provided our flights, rides from the airport to the
Haven House, and back to the airport, and then a ride from the airport in
Florida 2 hours back to our home was with out flaw. They were on time,
polite, helpful and I have no complaint whatsoever with them! The Shrine
hospital staff were exceptional with service and cheer! Dr. Dobbs was as
kind as I had been told he was; he took lots of time with us as did everyone
else involved. The x-ray staff was very patient as all three boys went
through the x-ray process.
Haven House is not affiliated with the Shrine.
| Tips for Staying At the Haven House in St. Louis Missouri |