Fisher House Foundation

Written by Administrator | 11 February 2010

The Fisher House was founded because members of the military and their families are stationed worldwide and must often travel great distances for specialized medical care, Fisher House™ Foundation donates "comfort homes," built on the grounds of major military and VA medical centers. These homes enable family members to be close to a loved one at the most stressful times - during the hospitalization for an unexpected illness, disease, or injury.

There is at least one Fisher House™ at every major military medical center to assist families in need and to ensure that they are provided with the comforts of home in a supportive environment. Annually, the Fisher House™ program serves more than 10,000 families, and have made available nearly three million days of lodging to family members since the program originated in 1990. By law, there is no charge for any family to stay at a Fisher House operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs; and Fisher House Foundation uses donations to reimburse the individual Fisher Houses operated by the Army, Navy, and Air Force. No family pays to stay at any Fisher House!

In addition to constructing new houses, Fisher House™ Foundation continues to support existing Fisher Houses™ and help individual military families in need. We are also proud to administer and sponsor Scholarships for Military Children, the Hero Miles program, and co-sponsor the Newman's Own Award.

To learn more about the founders Zachary Fisher visit the national website about his interesting and devoted life.

Malcom Randall VA Medical Center

Written by Administrator | 11 February 2010

The North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System serves veterans across a large geographical area in North Florida (33 counties) and South Georgia (19 counties). In addition to our two medical centers in Gainesville and Lake City, we offer a number of services to our patients in several satellite outpatient clinics and community-based outpatient clinics. The North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health Care System is the VA’s largest Health Care System spanning 50 counties (40,000 square miles) between North Florida and South Georgia while proudly serving over 130,000 veterans.

The Malcom Randall VA Medical Center in Gainesville is tertiary care facility that also serves as an active teaching hospital with an extensive array of specialty services. The Malcom Randall VA Medical Center combines a full range of patient care services with state-of-the-art technology and supported through education and research. We provide between 40,000 and 50,000 outpatient visits each month. Patients from our System of Clinics must travel to Gainesville for most specialty services and this facility provides some specialty services to 100,000 veterans on a yearly basis. The estimated total number of outpatient visits for fiscal 2008 approximate 600,000. Combined with a total of 12,000 in-patient admissions each year, the Malcom Randall VA Medical Center is easily on of the top five busiest VA medical centers in the country.

Specialized services include but not limited to: Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment, Spinal Cord Injury Treatment, Stroke Rehabilitation, Radiation/Oncology, Hospice and Palliative Care, Surgery (Including Surgical Inpatient Care, Cardiothoracic, Neurological, Musculoskeletal, and other)

Gainesville VA Medical Center History

President Harry S. Truman initially approved the establishment of the Veterans Administration Hospital in Gainesville in October 1945. However, authorization for the construction of the hospital was canceled in December, and it was not until October 10, 1961 that President John F. Kennedy approved the construction of a 500-bed hospital in Gainesville, Florida. In 1962, the Administrator of the Veterans Administration approved the master plan for a new VA Hospital in Gainesville. The plan provided for a 480-bed general hospital to be located adjacent to the University of Florida. VA purchased 31 acres of land. Construction began on January 16, 1964.

Gainesville VA Medical Center was dedicated On October 22, 1967. U.S. Representative, Olin E. "Tiger" Teague, D-Texas, the keynote speaker, said, "the veterans of the sunshine state can be assured they are never forgotten men."The five story, 480-bed hospital began admitting patients in October 1967. Marine Corporal Lawrence W. Hale of Tallahassee was the first patient admitted to the new hospital. Hale, a combat veteran of the 3rd Marine Division in Vietnam was transferred here from the Jacksonville Naval Hospital on September 25, 1967.

To Contact the Malcom Randall Veterans Administration Medical Center call:

Monday through Friday 8 am to 4 pm 1-800-988-5641

Mon-Fri Evenings, Weekends and Holidays 1-800-741-3400