Mayo Clinic and St. Andrew's Lighthouse to Develop On-site Extended-stay Housing for Transplant and Cancer Patients

Monday, November 30, 2009

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Mayo Clinic and St. Andrew's Lighthouse, a local organization that provides family-centered, extended-stay housing to visiting patients and their families, announced that they will develop the Gabriel House of Care, an $8.8 million, 30-bedroom hospitality house to be built on a 4.5-acre lakeside site on Mayo Clinic's campus in Jacksonville.

The facility, which will be owned by Mayo Clinic and leased to and operated by St. Andrew's Lighthouse, will provide extended-stay housing specifically for visiting organ transplant and cancer patients receiving radiation therapy and their families who must remain in the Jacksonville area for long periods to receive specialized medical treatment. St. Andrew's Lighthouse currently houses some Mayo Clinic patients and their families in two smaller facilities and also coordinates a hotel lodging program for patients.

Mayo Clinic is raising a total of $13.5 million for this initiative, and St. Andrew's Lighthouse is embarking on a campaign to raise funds to support operational needs of the Gabriel House of Care. Jorge and Leslie Bacardi of Nassau, Bahamas, have made the lead gift, inspired by Mr. Bacardi's transplant experience and their gratitude to "Gabriel," a name they used to honor their organ donor before they learned his identity. The donor was later revealed as Christopher Gregory, a 19-year-old student from Baltimore, Md., who lost his life to a brain aneurysm.

Groundbreaking for the project is tentatively set for March 2010, with construction taking approximately 12 months to complete.

"Our vision is to make the Gabriel House of Care a 'home away from home' for visiting patients and their families by providing a healing environment where residents can support each other as they share similar experiences dealing with a loved one's illness," says Ed Asher, executive director of St. Andrew's Lighthouse. "This facility will allow us to significantly expand our services and help more patients and their families in need."

The Gabriel House of Care will alleviate current space constraints at existing patient housing operated by St. Andrew's Lighthouse in Jacksonville Beach and, more importantly, will offer specialized housing and support dedicated to patients and their caregivers. Each bedroom will be comfortably furnished and have a private bath. The house will feature several common areas for transplant and cancer patients and their families to gather, rest and share their experiences with other people going through similar treatments.

"We believe that transplant and cancer patients who come to the Jacksonville community and Mayo Clinic for specialized care would be well-served by an affordable, extended-stay housing option," says Joan Weber, project lead for Mayo Clinic. "Working together with St. Andrew's Lighthouse makes sense given their experience in managing patient housing in our community and their understanding of the unique needs of patients and their families."

About St. Andrew's Lighthouse

Founded in 1996, St. Andrew's Lighthouse has become a "home away from home" for more than 1,200 patients and families from 36 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and three foreign countries. The Jacksonville-based organization recognized a growing need for temporary, supportive housing for patients and families traveling to Jacksonville for specialized medical care. The organization has operated a home in Jacksonville Beach since 2000, featuring four private bedrooms and community living, dining and kitchen areas. A second home with two private bedrooms was added in 2008 to accommodate longer- term stays. In 2006, it also launched a unique program to provide subsidized hotel lodging to qualified organ transplant patients and their families. To date, 796 guest families have received more than 8,125 room nights through this program.

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About Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit worldwide leader in medical care, research and education for people from all walks of life. For more information, visit MayoClinic.com or MayoClinic.org/news.