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SALT LAKE CITY -- Military men and women wounded in war in Afghanistan and Iraq often travel long distances to get the VA care they need. A new facility under construction in Salt Lake City will ease the burden for those veterans.
Military veterans with cancer in Idaho, combat vets suffering from PTSD in Wyoming and veterans with battle wounds in rural Utah all come to the VA Medical Center in Salt Lake for treatment. That means a lot of travel and expensive lodging, unless they have a place to stay.
The Fisher House is a solution to that problem, and there's one under construction on the campus of the George E. Wahlen VA Medical Center.
"We build this house and design it so that it is a home away from home," says Derek Donovan, vice president of the Fisher House Foundation.
Fisher House is a national program that provides just that for families of VA patients at no cost. The home-like atmosphere helps them handle the financial and emotional stress of long-term treatment, and helps their veterans heal.
"It allows the patients to have family members nearby," says Donovan. "At Fisher House we say, 'Family's love is good medicine.'"
The Salt Lake Fisher House will serve a new generation of combat veterans from our current wars and veterans of past eras.
Local fundraising for the $5 million project has been generous, and is ongoing. If you'd like to make a donation to the Fisher House Foundation, CLICK HERE.
Each of the 20 suites has a private bedroom and bath. Families share a kitchen, dining room, living room and laundry facilities.
The Salt Lake City VA Health Care System hosted a ceremonial groundbreaking Friday, but the foundation and many walls are already in place. By early next year, veterans and their families will be able to enjoy what the Fisher House offers.
"I think it's going to be a very active place," says Steve Young, director of the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System. "Well over half of the veterans we serve come from areas outside of Salt Lake City."
Today, there are 54 Fisher Houses in the U.S. and Germany. Since 1990, the program has served more than 142,000 families and saved them an estimated $165 million in lodging and transportation costs.
"If you don't have family around to help you, the healing is not going to be complete," says Donovan.
The Fisher House also creates a support system among the veterans' families so they can lean on each other.
According to the Fisher House Foundation, local fundraising for the $5 million project has been generous, and is ongoing.
Email: jboal@ksl.com.
