Why Lodging Support Is Essential to Pediatric Care: New National Study Underscores Family House’s Mission
I’m excited to share a groundbreaking study published in the Journal of Community Health. It is the first of its kind to document the scope of healthcare hospitality programs across the U.S., analyzing 502 organizations that compassionately provide temporary lodging for patients and families traveling for medical care. It also establishes a publicly accessible database of the organizations to inform healthcare research and future policy for patients, their families, providers and advocates. The insights are clear: pediatric hospitality programs like Family House offer vital support and life-changing impact.
The vast majority of pediatric guesthouses, including Family House, go beyond basic lodging to provide comprehensive services such as meals, transportation, and emotional support. Most services are offered at a reduced cost or, like Family House, at no cost to families.
This study affirms our core value of access. We believe that providing free, supportive family stays is not only essential, but a matter of health equity. By removing logistical barriers and offering services 100% free of charge, Family House is a lifeline for families, regardless of financial concerns or how far they live from the hospital. While their children receive treatment for cancer and other life-threatening illnesses from UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital, our families can stay together during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.
I’m inspired that the authors have set the stage for future research into the relationship of healthcare lodging to health outcomes, so that we can continue to validate that healthcare hospitality is a core component of healthcare delivery. Family House has long affirmed that the cost of having a place to stay should not be a factor in where parents find world class care for their children, and that providing a safe, comfortable, dignified living environment enables families to focus on healing.
The study, led by Jennifer Owens, together with Godwin Okoye, Flavius R. W. Lilly, Roger J. Ward, and Matthew Jay Lyons, shines a much-needed light on healthcare hospitality and healing. We are especially grateful to Owens, a longtime champion of this work and a board member of the Healthcare Hospitality Network (HHN).
Family House is proud to be an HHN Certified Hospitality House, and an active member organization. Our Chief of Community Engagement, Karen Banks, leads our vital partnership by serving on the HHN board, which strengthens our care for the families we serve.
An extraordinarily dedicated community of families, staff, board, donors, volunteers and partners has made Family House’s mission possible since 1981. Today, we are more honored than ever to be part of a national community of care in serving families when they need it most.
Warmly,
Katherine Thompson
CEO, Family House
Family House San Francisco is an independent nonprofit organization led by a professional staff and board of directors dedicated to providing residential services free of charge to qualifying families. We rely solely on the generous contributions of individuals, corporations, and foundations.