Home away from home

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Zachary Perras
  • 354th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
No family pays to stay at a Fisher House, and this privilege is now available to the Iceman Team after a new house was opened at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Dec. 22, 2011, making the 56th Fisher House the first of its kind in Alaska.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony and helped dedicate the house at JBER Feb. 17, saying the house, also the first "in the entire Pacific area of responsibility," is a tribute to troops and their loved ones.

"It is our service members and their families who make our military great, and the Fisher House Foundation is dedicated to supporting these wonderful Americans," Schwartz said in an interview for the Fisher House Foundation. "This new Alaska facility is but the latest example of that commitment, and we are very appreciative of both the foundation and the donors who contribute to these worthy endeavors."

Roughly 115,000 Department of Defense beneficiaries and their families are eligible to stay at the house, Schwartz said.

The 10,000 square foot Alaska Fisher House offers 12 private rooms, each with handicapped accessible baths and showers, in-room personal computers, televisions with cable, DVD players and phones in each room. A common dining room, living room, double kitchen, laundry room and family room area are also in the house. Designed specifically for Alaska's conditions, the house offers heated sidewalks as well.

While guests must live outside a 50 mile radius of the hospital the house serves, eligibility also depends on if the person or dependent is associated with active duty, reserves, National Guard, a retiree or is receiving care through the Veteran's Administration.

Jeffery Temple, Alaska Fisher House director, said the house serves patients and families from all branches of the military, providing a sort of comfort home for its guests.

"The Alaska Fisher House is a compassionate care facility," said Temple. "The house provides a safe and comfortable [place] for families in need ... to stay at no cost to the guest."

The Alaska Fisher House location was decided because JBER serves the largest number of service members in Alaska and is located in the one city in Alaska that has specialized medical care, Temple said.

"It actually helps other bases more than JBER," he said. "People come from all over the state to receive specialized care in Anchorage and those people who are eligible to use the Joint Hospital are eligible to use the Fisher House."

This new House supports the Iceman Team, providing an invaluable resource and a home away from home for those who need it.

For more information on the Alaska Fisher House, contact Temple at jeffery.temple@elmendorf.af.mil, or call 907-222-1673. Information may also be found on the Fisher House Foundation website at www.fisherhouse.org.