LOCAL NEWS | Sunday, September, 9, 2007
By Christian Alexandersen
The Herald-Dispatch
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Several members from the West Virginia House of Delegates presented a $50,000 check to Jo Fannin, director of the Jeffrey E. George Comfort House, to help fund the charity’s mission of providing housing for families of area hospital patients. From left, starting at top, Delegates Don Perdue, Doug Reynolds, Jim Morgan, Harry White, Carol Miller, Jo Fannin and Delegate Kelli Sobonya attended the event. |
HUNTINGTON -- The Jeffrey E. George Comfort House got a $50,000 boost Saturday that will help it fulfill its mission of helping families of area hospital patients.
West Virginia Delegates Don Perdue, Doug Reynolds, Jim Morgan, Harry White, Carol Miller and Kelli Sobonya showed up at the facility to present the check for money that was allocated in the 2007-2008 state budget.
Comfort House Executive Director Jo Fannin said with a tight yearly budget of $150,000, the money will greatly help the facility continue to house people while their loved ones are in the hospital.
Fannin said the purpose of the facility, located at 2801 S. Staunton Road, is to provide lodging for the distant families of patients at any of the seven area hospitals. They are Cabell Huntington Hospital, St. Mary's Medical Center, the Veterans Administration Medical Center, River Park Hospital, Mildred Mitchell-Batemen Hospital and HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital. The house is located on the northwest corner of the St. Mary's campus and has shuttle service to the other hospitals.
Now going into its eighth year, the house has had more than 13,000 guests from 10 foreign countries and 42 states have used one of the center's 12 private suites. The center asks for only a $10 per night donation, Fannin said.
The hospitality house also has a library, two full kitchens and two TV rooms. The facility stipulates that all guests be over 18 years old and live outside a 50-mile radius of Huntington
Originally named the Hospital Hospitality House of Huntington when it opened in 2000, the name was recently changed in honor of Dr. Jeffrey E. George, a heart surgeon born in Huntington who is a co-founder of the house and a lifetime board member.
The facility is solely operated through individual donations. More than 50 people volunteer at the facility, and food distributors such as Kroger's and Sam's Club donate food, Fannin said.
Since having a family member in the hospital is already stressful, Sobonya said the house allows people to worry about one less thing.
"With loved ones in the hospital, most people are under a lot of stress," Sobonya said. "The Comfort House takes away that stress and anxiety. This is one of Huntington's best kept secrets."
Fannin said the allocated money shows how kind and compassionate the people of West Virginia are.
"What the Legislature has done totally exemplifies what the people of West Virginia are like," Fannin said. "They always give whatever they can give."