Kootenai | Kootenai Health | Issue 4, 2017

In just its third year of operation, Community Cancer Fund (CCF) has announced its intent to take on its most ambitious project to date: a hospitality center serving patients at Kootenai Health. The hospitality center is the result of a collaboration between Kootenai, Community Cancer Fund, and Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Inland Northwest (RMHC). It will provide overnight accommodations that are low-cost for adults and free for pediatric patients and their families accessing services at Kootenai. Caring for thewhole person—and the whole family “A cancer diagnosis is devastating to a family for so many reasons,” explained Jerid Keefer, co-founder and executive director of CCF. “Our goal is to help cancer patients and their families focus on getting better, not worry about how to pay for lodging during treatment. The hospitality center will help by providing patients and families across the region a comfortable, affordable place to stay while they are receiving care at Kootenai Health.” Growingdemand Kootenai Health has experienced significant growth over the past five years, attracting patients from around the region with increasingly complex needs. One-third of all patients seen at Kootenai Health are from outside Kootenai County, so the need for ac- cessible, affordable patient lodging has never been greater. The hospitality center will include 14 adult rooms and six Ronald McDonald House rooms for pediatric Hospitality Center Coming to Kootenai Health patient families. The hospitality center will provide a home-like setting, with kitchen and laundry facilities and recreational spaces. Ronald McDonald House guests will also enjoy services such as meal and pet therapy programs. “The demand for a Ronald Mc- Donald House at Kootenai Health stems from the recent expansion of its neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) as well as expanding pediatric services,” said Mike Forness, executive director of RMHC. “It will provide a free place where families can stay so they can be close to their baby or child.” Convenient location The hospitality center will be built on a currently empty lot on the northwest corner of the Kootenai Health campus. It will have easy access to a walking trail and a shuttle service to take guests to various campus locations. Parents of pediatric patients will stay at the hos- pitality center free of charge through RMHC; adult guests will stay at a greatly reduced rate. The center will be available to patients with any diagno- sis, not only those fighting cancer. “The collaboration between Community Cancer Fund, Ronald McDonald House Charities, and Kootenai Health on this project has been remarkable,” said Jon Ness, CEO of Kootenai. “The hospitality center shows the positive impact we can make when the missions of three great organizations are in alignment.” The adult portion of the hospitality center will replace Kootenai’s cur- rent low-cost lodging, the Walden House, but will retain the name. A prominent display at the center will honor the history, mission, and story of the Walden family and the Walden House. Once open, the existing Walden House building will be retired and removed. This move will allow for continued growth and develop- ment of the medical office campus to meet the needs of patients and the community. Compassionate. Care. To learn more about the hospitality center, visit KH.org/ hospitality-center . KH . ORG 21