Nevada officials, including Gov. Brian Sandoval and North Las Vegas Mayor John Lee, participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016, at the Fisher House. The 13,500-square-foot home will provide temporary housing for family of military members and veterans receiving treatment locally. It’s located in North Las Vegas next to the VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System.
Friday, Feb. 12, 2016 | 2 a.m.
When military members and veterans receive treatment locally, their families will have a free place to stay much sooner than originally expected.
Gov. Brian Sandoval and other Nevada dignitaries gathered Thursday in North Las Vegas to dedicate the 13,500-square-foot Fisher House — a “comfort home” designed to make caring for an injured or sick loved one easier. The home, which sits next to the VA Southern Nevada medical complex along the north 215 Beltway near Interstate 15, is the 69th in the nation but the first in Nevada.
“Over its lifetime, this home will serve thousands of warriors and their families, and that is something of which we should all be Nevada proud,” said Scott Bensing, president of the Nevada Military Support Alliance.
Visitors tour the Fisher House in North Las Vegas after a dedication ceremony on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016. The Fisher House, which sits next to the VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System, will provide housing for families of military members and veterans receiving treatment locally.
The Fisher House Foundation supports the construction of homes near military or VA medical centers where family members can stay — at no cost — while supporting a service member or veteran receiving treatment. The foundation had planned to start construction of Nevada’s Fisher House in 2017, but the community raised an initial $3 million in record time, allowing for an earlier groundbreaking, said Cadie Andrew, who will manage Nevada’s Fisher House. The foundation matched the remaining funds necessary to build the house, which cost about $6 million.
The home has 16 suites — featuring two twin beds, two full beds or one queen and a full bathroom — in addition to a communal kitchen, dining, living rooms, laundry room and patio.
“My biggest hope is to make this a home away from home,” Andrew said. “All the common areas are designed in a way that the families will co-mingle and provide that support for each other.”
After the finishing touches are completed, the Fisher House will begin accepting families in a few weeks, Andrew said. To be eligible for lodging, the families must have a loved one receiving care at either the VA Southern Nevada Healthcare System or the Mike O'Callaghan Federal Medical Center at Nellis Air Force Base and live more than 50 miles away.
Sandoval said the opening of Fisher House marked another step toward Nevada becoming the most veteran- and military-friendly state in the country. Nearly 300,000 veterans live in Nevada, he said.
“We all know that time of recovery can be stressful, and this Fisher House will be a sanctuary for those families as their loved ones are being treated,” Sandoval said. “... We will take care of our own. Our veterans deserve it.”
The Fisher House was supported by a number of groups or individuals, including the Nevada Military Support Alliance, Engelstad Family Foundation, Alfred E. Mann Foundation, Heather and Jim Murren, MGM Resorts International, NV Energy Foundation, Bigelow Aerospace and Perry M. Di Loreto.
Join the Discussion:
Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.
Full comments policy