Kansas City Fisher House A new Fisher House will be built at the Kansas City VA Medical Center in Missouri.  The 16-suite "home away from home" will serve families of veterans eligible to receive health care from the Kansas City VA.

The home will join the more than 80 Fisher Houses located throughout the country, as well as in Germany and the UK.

For more than 25 years, the Fisher House program has provided free lodging for more than 335,000 families of patients receiving medical care at major VA and Department of Defense hospitals. On any given night, up to 1,000 families can be staying at a Fisher House, allowing them to be close to their loved one during a medical crisis and to focus on what’s important—the healing process. The Kansas City Fisher House will add up to 6,000 nights of lodging per year.

“I can’t tell you how excited I am to be part of this,” said Ken Fisher, Chairman and CEO of Fisher House Foundation. “I want our veterans and their families to know when they walk in the door of a Fisher House that America cares and we thank them for their service.”

The Kansas City VA Medical Center (KCVAMC) is a 157-bed medical, surgical, and psychiatric facility. As a referral center, KCVAMC provides comprehensive health care for veterans in Kansas, western Missouri. KCVAMC is a major center for medical research in the Midwest and conducts basic and clinical research in all major fields of study.

“We are thrilled and honored to be chosen as a recipient for a Fisher House,” said Kathleen Fogarty, Director, KCVAMC. “This is a home away from home to families and caregivers of veterans receiving care at the Kansas City VA Medical Center (KCVAMC).”

KCVAMC maintains over 150 academic affiliations and is the only cochlear implant facility in the Veterans Integrated Service Network (VISN) 15. The facility’s local and regional 50,000+ veteran patients visit KCVAMC over 570,000 times each year.

“The 16 guest suites of the Fisher House will provide a comfortable, peaceful place to rest and support for families who are with their loved ones during their care and rehabilitation at our VA Medical Center,” said Fogarty. “It’s more than a convenient and beautiful place to stay, the guests of Fisher House share common experiences, form lasting friendships, and become a unique kind of family, bonding from their Fisher House experience. We are so thankful to the Fisher House Foundation for this opportunity and feel privileged to be joining the Fisher House Family,” Fogarty adde

Retired Rear Admiral Jeff Penfield has agreed to chair the Kansas City Fisher House Board

Who Can Stay at the Fisher House?

• Guests must be medically stable to care for themselves and/or family members independently.

• Guests must live 50 miles or more from the Fisher House.

• Minor children must be supervised by their families at all times.

• Only one room assigned to each family.