The new hospitality center will provide low cost accommodations for adults and free accommodations for pediatric patents and their families while using the services of Kootenai Health. The center will have 14 adult rooms and 6 rooms for Ronald McDonald House guests. While there guests will also have access to meals and pet therapy programs.
The new hospitality center is just the latest step of the major expansions that Kootenai Health has seen in the last 5 years. Mike Forness executive director of Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Inland Northwest even points out this as being part of the reason for their involvement in the project. He says " The demand for a Ronald McDonald House at Kootenai Health stems from recent expansion of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit ( NICU ) as well as expanding pediatric services ". Kootenai Health is also the largest medical center in the North Idaho region meaning adult accommodation needs will also likely continue to grow. It will be open to all, not just those with a cancer diagnosis.
Plans call for the new hospitality center to be built on a vacant lot on Northwest corner of the Kootenai Health campus. It will be connected to the main Kootenai Health hospital by walking trails and a shuttle service that will allow guest to be quickly taken to various locations on the Kootenai Health campus.
Currently adult accommodations are provided in a smaller center called Walden House. Once the new hospitality center is opened, the current Walden House will be removed to make way for future medical office developments. The adult section however of the new hospitality center will retain the Walden House name.
Architectural design work for the new hospitality center is expected to be completed sometime this fall with construction to start in the Summer of 2018. The current projected completion date in in early 2019. Fundraising for the hospitality center project will kick off July 28-29 at The Showcase event which benefits the Community Cancer Fund and is held at the Coeur d' Alene Resort Golf Course.
For more information on the Community Cancer Fund, the above mentioned event and all the good works they are doing in the Inland Northwest, visit their website at-
http://communitycancerfund.org
For more information on Kootenai Health visit-
http://kh.org
And, for more information on the Ronald McDonald Charites of the Inland Northwest visit-
http://rhmcinlandnw.org