Oct. 16, 2020

A new fundraising campaign aims to raise $2.5 million to expand lodging for patients and families receiving care at Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center.

The Home for Hope campaign through the Avera Foundation has a goal to more than double the number of rooms available to families at the three-building hospitality house complex adjacent to the Avera McKennan campus.

The house was developed in 2008, and the waiting list for patient and family lodging includes more than 1,100 rooms annually.

Last year, more than 6,300 Avera patients were served, with an average stay of nearly two weeks.

“This is an opportunity to lift burdens from many families,” Jennifer Kirby, Home for Hope campaign co-chair, said in a statement.

“My family faced the same challenges many do when my mother needed weeks of radiation therapy in Minneapolis, more than 70 miles from home. Commuting would have been impossible, but we found a free patient-family lodging facility that became our home away from home. The Home for Hope campaign will offer many others that same empathetic service here in Sioux Falls.”

The Home for Hope campaign aims to add about 6,500 square feet, including 13 suites and a connection to two existing buildings, as well as renovation to existing facilities.

“Avera has served the people of our region for 130 years with an unwavering dedication to patients, many of whom travel from hundreds of miles to receive exceptional care, spending weeks away from home,” said Dzenan Berberovic, chief philanthropy officer for Avera Health. “Together, we will help those who need help with lodging while they or a loved one receives lifesaving care.”

Extended time away from home can lead to stress, costs and loneliness, he said.

“Facilities like this are a godsend for those we serve, and in the future we will serve many more,” he said. “We will continue to provide compassion for those who need it most – at the bedside and beyond.”