Veterans, volunteers, and VA employees will gather today to celebrate the completion of a new 20-suite Fisher House at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, Texas.
“We are so pleased to open this Fisher House,” said David Coker, president of the Fisher House Foundation. “Houston is the first VA medical center in the country to receive three Fisher Houses; we will definitely fill this one up just as we have our current two homes.”
A Fisher House is a home away from home for families of patients receiving medical care at major military and VA medical centers around the county. The Fisher House includes guest suites with private baths and a communal fully-stocked kitchen that support more than 305,000 military and Veteran members and their families annually. Thanks to the private-public partnership, America’s military and Veteran families stay for free during their time of need.
“Sometimes the best medicine is just having your family nearby to help support you when you need them most,” said director of the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center Frank Vazquez.
But Fisher Houses are so much more than just a free place to sleep.
“A Fisher House serves as a refuge – it is a home where families can heal right alongside of their loved one,” said Coker.
A Fisher House on a VA campus reminds us that behind every service member and Veteran, there is a family. These families bear the burden and make unimaginable sacrifices. Fisher Houses provide the bridge between medicine and healing.
The new Houston-based Fisher House will serve Veterans and their families from around the globe. In the past 12 years, the existing Fisher Houses have supported more than 12,000 families with members ranging in age from one week old to 90 years old. Families have come from six different countries and 42 states.
More information about Houston’s Fisher Houses is available here.
Stacie M. Rivera is a public affairs specialist with the Veterans Health Administation’s Office of Informatics and Information Governance.
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