VA breaks ground for new Fisher House

Dignitaries, veterans, employees and volunteers gathered at the VA Medical Center in Washington, D.C. May 21 for a ceremonial ground breaking at the site of the future Fisher House - a 21-suite facility that will provide free lodging for the families of hospitalized veterans.
"This Fisher House will be a home-away-from-home for our veterans and their families who have served us so well," said Fernando Rivera, the medical center's director.
"No-cost lodging right on our grounds will help alleviate both family stress and the financial burden families' face when a loved one is hospitalized," he said.
The houses are constructed on government property, military bases and Veterans Affairs medical center grounds. The Fisher House Foundation builds the fully furnished and landscaped homes and awards them to the government upon completion.
Once built, the homes are operated and maintained by the military or Department of Veterans Affairs.
Since the foundation was established in 1990, Rivera added that roughly 120,000 families have been provided with 2.5 million days of free or low-cost lodging.
In 2007, the Fisher House Foundation estimated it saved military and veterans' families approximately $10 million in lodging, food and transportation costs through its program.
Slated to open in the summer of 2009, the DCVAMC Fisher House will accommodate up to 42 family members and will be furnished with everything a family needs while their loved one is hospitalized, including DVD players, video games and toys for children.