ROANOKE, Va. – The Roanoke region has long been blessed with outstanding healthcare options. But something that’s been missing is a place for families to stay if their loved one requires long-term care.
This week, Carilion made a sizeable donation to a non-profit that’s been trying to solve the problem for years. It’s called the Hospitality House, which recently secured a building in South Roanoke.
Hospitality House board chair Brian Wells walks through what will someday be a place for people to stay while loved ones receive long-term care in the Roanoke Valley. Right now, it’s an abandoned office space.
“Yeah, you know, families traveling in serious medical conditions, having a place that’s affordable, that’s dedicated to their care and their stay really helps with outcomes for both the patient and the family,” Wells said.
After years of work to get traction for the idea, the non-profit recently purchased a three-story building in south Roanoke in the midst of the sprawling Carilion campus.
“We’ve been. Grinding ever since...2018 was the year of starting to make it all happen,’ Terrianne Julian, the project’s founder, said.
The 3-story building was once home to various medical offices. Just this month, a sign went on the side of the building saying it would become home to the Hospitality House. But that won’t be until the group raises more than 6-million dollars, something that’s happening quietly in the background.
“With our preliminary design, we see that we can get in 25 guest rooms, including a few clean rooms. So when we get to kidney transplants, people that might need a special environment will have that, and that’s exciting,” Wells explained.
Carilion announced its support in a news release on Monday.
“Hospitality House of the Blue Ridge will fill an important need for those seeking care in our region,” said Mike Abbott, President of Carilion Medical Center. “We are excited to see their progress as it moves from vision to reality. This initiative reflects the kind of community-driven solution that makes a real difference for patients and families navigating complex care journeys.”
There are Hospitality Houses all over the United States. Wells says it’s Roanoke’s turn.
“So many major medical markets around the country have hospitality houses. Winston-Salem, Durham, North Carolina, Charlottesville, Richmond, Virginia. It’s only fitting that Roanoke has similar amenities for the medical community here,” he said.
As for Julian, who first learned of the hospitality house concept while caring for her late father, it’s been a long, hard path to get to bricks and mortar. She says it’s amazing that the group found an available building in sight of Roanoke Memorial Hospital.
“The first time I ever walked up here and looked out this window. Because this was exactly what I knew we needed here in Roanoke. If you’ve got a loved one that’s in the hospital and you need to stay close by, what better than to be able to look out a window and see where they are,” Julian said.
Asked what it would feel like to see the first family walk through the door, Julian was drawn to tears.
“I can’t even imagine. I can even imagine,” Julian said.