New Fisher House at Arkansas VA hospital to offer comfort for families of patients

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Construction started Friday for a new facility looking to bring comfort to families trying to support patients at the Little Rock VA Hospital.

The Fisher House will support the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System and will offer space for up to 16 veteran and military families to stay free of charge while patients are receiving care.

This new facility will be the 101^st Fisher House built and the first in Arkansas. It joins a network of other facilities across the United States and Europe that give up to 1,400 families a place to stay on any given night.

“For the 500,000 families who have passed through the doors of Fisher Houses nationwide, the organization’s motto – A Family’s Love is Good Medicine – says it all,” Dr. Carolyn M. Clancy, VHA Assistant Under Secretary for Health for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, said. “Today’s groundbreaking for the 101st Fisher House continues the outstanding legacy of support envisioned by Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher for our Nation’s Veterans and their families.”

The bedroom suites in the new Fisher House will be equipped with a private, wheelchair-accessible bathroom, and there will be common areas like living, dining & family rooms, a kitchen, a laundry room and a patio.

“For so many Veterans, accessing the world-class healthcare offered by the VA comes down to one thing: having their families by their side,” Fisher House Foundation Chairman and CEO Ken Fisher said. “Soon, they can rest assured their families will be taken care of in a world-class home away from home.”

The new Little Rock Fisher House is expected to offer more than 5,800 nights of lodging every year, saving families potentially $1.1 million

Officials with the Fisher House Foundation said construction of the new house is expected to be complete by next May.

from KARK https://ift.tt/YIJ74KL