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Lexington VA marks one-year anniversary of their Fisher House

Lexington Veterans Affairs Healthcare's Fisher House is a place for veterans' families to stay while their loved one is undergoing treatment.
Lexington VA
Lexington Veterans Affairs Healthcare's Fisher House is a place for veterans' families to stay while their loved one is undergoing treatment.

Lexington Veterans Affairs Healthcare is marking the one-year anniversary of Fisher House – a home on the Sousley campus where family members of veterans undergoing medical procedures can stay for free. Mike Neville, the manager of Lexington’s Fisher House, said the facility is open to people living more than 50 miles away – and their vets don’t have to be receiving care at the V-A.

“We also have what we call Care in the Community. So if a veteran has a specialty need, say Markey Cancer Center or something to that effect, as long as the VA is paying for the medical treatment, and the veterans meet the criteria, they are allowed to stay here.”

Lexington VA’s Fisher House opened April 4th of last year. Tuesday night, they’ll mark their one-year anniversary with cake and a change of command for their nonprofit board of directors. Neville said Lexington’s is one of 98 Fisher Houses around the country.

“The goal is to allow the loved one to come back here, you know, get a good night's sleep, have a meal, get a good shower in the morning and basically wake up refreshed so they can go back to the hospital and be a part of the care for that veteran.”

Lexington’s Fisher House has 16 bedrooms and Neville said 525 families have stayed there, saving them more than $330,000.

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John McGary is a Lexington native and Navy veteran with three decades of radio, television and newspaper experience.
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