COLUMBIA, S.C. — A Columbia branch of a non-profit is trying to give the families of veterans a free place to stay while their loved one receives medical treatment.
Friends of Fisher House Columbia, S.C. is a non-profit branch of Fisher House, trying to bring some free lodging to the VA hospital on Garner’s Ferry.
Honorary Chair of Friends of Fisher House and South Carolina’s First Lady, Peggy McMaster, said it's an important task.
“Veterans' families need a safe, comfortable place to stay while their loved one is receiving medical care,” McMaster said in the Statehouse lobby Wednesday.
The project would build a 16-suite home at the VA hospital where families traveling from 50 miles outside Columbia could stay for free.
So far, Fisher House has more than 80 of these types of homes across United States VA hospitals.
The non-profit estimates the project would cost more than $6 million total and would take 9 to 15 months to complete after they break ground.
Donnell Baker said it would have helped her and her husband, Master Sergeant John F Baker Jr., whom is also a medal of honor recipient.
“He was taking the test, he was allergic to the dye, so they said they'd keep him a couple of days. Well why he was there, he got pneumonia,” Baker said.
The two had traveled to Charleston for the medical test and Baker ended up paying for 30 nights in a hotel while her husband was hospitalized.
“So, when we finally checked out, my bill was way over $3,000. Luckily, my credit card took it, but there are so many people here that would not be able to do it. They only live on social security, some of the veterans,” Baker said.
Charleston’s VA hospital opened its own Fisher House property in 2018.
The Columbia project needs an initial community investment of 2.5 million, according to Friends of Fisher House Chairman Bill Dukes.
“A medical crisis, the most personal battle of all can attack a loved one unexpectedly at any time. This can result in panic and confusion when the family is forced to find a place to stay in a strange city. That's where Fisher Houses have an impact, a home away from home,” Dukes said Wednesday.
At the same press conference, Samsung gave a $100,000 donation, bringing the donated total so far to nearly $500,000.
