Memphis, Tennessee, Sept. 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A new Fisher House was dedicated at the Lt. Col. Luke Weathers, Jr. VA Medical Center by Director Joseph P. Vaughn and President of Fisher House Foundation David A. Coker. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs was represented by Dr. M. Christopher Saslo, Assistant Under Secretary for Health for Patient Care Services/Chief Nursing Officer.
The new Fisher House will join the Fisher House already serving Veterans in Murfreesboro.
“Bringing the Fisher House to Memphis offers a valuable opportunity for our Veterans to focus on their healthcare needs while their loved ones are staying just a few short feet away from the Medical Center and can be at their bedside within minutes,” Vaughn said. “The Fisher House will significantly bolster our mission of caring for our nation’s Veterans and their families by providing a home away from home during hospitalizations and long-term care.”
The 13,000+ sq. ft. Fisher House provides lodging for Veteran and military families at no cost, allowing them to be close to their loved ones while they receive medical care. At full occupancy, this home away from home will provide possible total savings of more than $715,000 in lodging costs per year.
“Families from across Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, and beyond will benefit from this new Fisher House,” said Coker. “We are grateful to our partners like the Sippy Poo Barbeque Family, Tennessee Fisher House Foundation, Men’s Wearhouse, Enterprise Mobility Foundation, and Vehicles for Veterans for their generosity to help bring this Fisher House to Memphis.”
This Fisher House is part of a network of 98 homes located across the country, in Germany, and in the United Kingdom. It is located on the campus of the Lt. Col. Luke Weathers, Jr. VA Medical Center. Fisher House Foundation is on the Road to 100 Fisher Houses with projects underway in Detroit, Michigan; and the 100th Fisher House, which will be in North Chicago, Illinois.
The new Memphis VA Fisher House has 16 wheelchair-accessible suites; a spacious kitchen; large communal living, dining, and family rooms; a laundry room; and a shared patio. The home was gifted to the VA upon completion as part of the public-private partnership between Fisher House Foundation and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Fisher House Foundation proudly recognizes the generosity of the following contributors for their extraordinary support of our military and Veteran families: Sippy Poo Barbeque Family, Tennessee Fisher House Foundation, Men’s Wearhouse, Enterprise Mobility Foundation, Vehicles for Veterans, and the many gifts of a grateful nation.
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About Fisher House
Fisher House Foundation is best known for its network of 98 comfort homes where military and Veteran families can stay at no cost while a loved one is receiving treatment. These homes are located at major military and VA medical centers nationwide, and in Europe, close to the medical center or hospital they serve. Fisher Houses have up to 21 suites, with private bedrooms and baths. Families share a common kitchen, laundry facilities, a warm dining room, and an inviting living room. Fisher House Foundation ensures that there is never a lodging fee. Since inception, the program has saved military and Veteran families an estimated $610 million in out-of-pocket costs for lodging and transportation. www.fisherhouse.org
About VA Memphis
The Lt. Col. Luke Weathers, Jr. VA Medical Center consists of one main campus located at 116 North Pauline Street in Memphis, Tennessee, that operates 196 beds, which includes a 20-bed Spinal Cord Injury Center and a Women’s Health Center on a 33-acre campus. It sponsors nine community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs) within the service area of Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi. The medical center located on the main campus is a tertiary care facility classified as a Clinical Referral Level I-a Facility and one of the most complex medical centers in the VA system. It is a teaching hospital, providing a full range of patient care services, with advanced technology, as well as extensive education and research programs. Comprehensive primary, secondary, and tertiary health care are provided in areas of medicine, general cardiovascular and neurological surgery, psychiatry, physical medicine and rehabilitation, spinal cord injury, neurology, oncology, dentistry, and geriatrics. Specialized outpatient services are provided through general, specialty, and subspecialty outpatient clinics including a women’s health center. Services are available to Veterans living within a 53-county tri-state area of Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi.
- Memphis VA Fisher House Dedication and Ribbon-cutting Ceremony