Free home away from home for cancer patients opens in Deep Ellum

Charlotte Jones is thrilled that her family’s “Passion Project” is becoming a reality.

The American Cancer Society just welcomed the first guests to their Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge in Dallas, where out-of-town cancer patients and their caregivers can find a free home while undergoing intensive care here.

Think of it as the Ronald McDonald home for adult cancer patients and their caregivers, but with amenities and common areas fit for a hip boutique hotel.

Charlotte Jones, Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer of the Dallas Cowboys, celebrated the opening of Hope Lodge during a Zoom interview.(Amanda pantry)

“People are here at a difficult time,” said Jones. “Anytime you can offer yourself the comforts of home – something that makes you feel a little more normal when you are feeling this abnormal – is a real benefit. It strengthens and means a lot psychologically. “

Hope Lodge has places for exercising, meditating, reading, playing cards or chess, and walking in an outdoor garden, as well as communal areas where guests can eat, cook, share notes and seek solace with one another.

The 50 guest suites have two beds, a small living area and a private bathroom.

There are transports to and from doctor visits wherever they take place.

And there is no end-of-stay tab.

The $ 25 million project, which has been on the cancer society’s wish list since 2011, was started in May 2019 through a $ 7.5 million donor gift from Dallas’ first football family.

“Unfortunately, several of our family members have developed cancer over the years,” said the 55-year-old executive vice president and chief brand officer of the Dallas Cowboys in an interview before the team took to the field on Monday night. “This experience deepens your sensitivity to the disease. Being able to help people in their darkest moments strikes every emotional chord our family has. “

The four story building is located at 210 Hall St. The property is on 2 acres in Deep Ellum donated by Baylor Scott & White Health adjacent to the Baylor University Medical Center campus.

Construction was ahead of schedule and on budget, but complications from the pandemic delayed the opening from early spring to early fall.

The first guest checked in two weeks ago.

“It’s super exciting to hear,” said Jones, who was only able to take one virtual tour due to COVID-19 restrictions.

1/7Atmospheric lobby at the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge in Dallas.

2/7There is a shared laundry room on each of the three floors of the guest suite at the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge in Dallas.

3/7Exterior of the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge in Dallas.

4/7Shared kitchen area at the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge in Dallas.

5/7One of the 50 private guest suites at the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge in Dallas.

6/7Rose Riley poses for a portrait in front of Hope Lodge. She is traveling from Oklahoma to UT Southwestern for treatment and was the first person to stay at the new facility in Deep Ellum.(Jeffrey McWhorter / special article)

7/7Members of the Jones family, American Cancer Society leaders, Baylor Scott & White, and Baylors Foundation rolled shovels in May 2019. The Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge recently welcomed their first three patients.(2147010656)

Expensive stays

North Texas is a mecca for thousands of cancer patients who come here each year for treatment. The cost and emotional burden of repeated, and often long, stays can be staggering, said Jeff Fehlis, executive vice president of the American Cancer Society, which operates 31 Hope Lodges in the United States and Puerto Rico.

Jeff Fehlis, executive vice president of the American Cancer Society, during a Zoom interview.(Amanda pantry)

The Dallas Lodge is expected to host 18,000 room nights each year. According to Fehlis’ math, this translates into savings of more than $ 3 million for patients and caregivers.

Patients must live at least 40 miles away and have a referral from their doctor. First come first serve.

This is the Cancer Society’s second Hope Lodge in Texas. One in Lubbock opened in 2010 in partnership with the Health Science Center at Texas Tech University. One in Houston is expected to welcome its first guests in October, and another in Oklahoma City is slated to open next summer.

The expansion in the southwest reflects both the strong medical base and donors ready to step on the plate, Fehlis said.

Suitable for filming

It is not your typical long-stay accommodation.

The 40,000 square meter facility has eight identical kitchen capsules, each with an oven, stove and microwave.

There are 11 shared dishwashers, six two-door commercial refrigerators, and six single-door commercial freezers.

“The kitchen and dining area are phenomenal,” said Fehlis. “It looks like they could have a cooking show there. And in fact we will probably do that for our guests and their supervisors. “

Each of the three floors of the guest suite has a laundry room with four commercially available washing machines and dryers – no coins required and all supplies are provided.

Devices held up by supply chain issues were the last components to arrive.

“It was, ‘Where are you? Where are they?’ “Said Fehlis.” But we got them in. Now we just need people to use them. “

The facility is staffed around the clock and will employ 10 full-time employees when fully operational.

Rose Riley in front of the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge, a Dallas facility that provides free accommodation for cancer patients. Riley, who is traveling to UT Southwestern from Lawton, Okla. For treatment, was the first person to stay at the new facility in Deep Ellum.(Jeffrey McWhorter / special article)

Not that big opening

Due to the vulnerable conditions of the guests, no visitors are allowed.

The “grand opening” of the Jones Family Hope Lodge consisted of the inaugural guest Rose Riley cutting a red ribbon on the front door while an employee took her photo on an iPhone.

Each month, the 78-year-old breast cancer chemotherapy patient travels 320 miles from her home outside of Lawton, Oklahoma for tests, scans, and appointments with her oncologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Currently she can drive to Dallas herself and take care of herself while she is here. But she is reassured to know that her daughter can be her plus one if that changes.

Riley, who works part-time in a grocery store, found out about Hope Lodge by Googling the Cancer Society website.

A social worker at UTSW “really took the bull by the horns,” said Riley. “Before I knew it, I had a room in time for this visit.”

Now that she is in the system, her doctor’s office can book her stay at Hope Lodge when she makes her doctor’s appointments.

Riley was assigned a lockable drying chamber, as well as space in a refrigerator and freezer – though there was no one else to compete with.

“I was pretty much in control of the facility as I was the only one here,” she said of Zoom while sitting in the library. “I can’t imagine it being nicer. Every room has one [donor’s] Name on it. I don’t care if it’s a utility room or a guest room, someone has donated to this place and their name is on a room somewhere. “

Their enthusiasm shone through the screen.

“I love Rose,” said Fehlis. “She was the perfect first guest.”

Build a cat

So far, the lodge has hosted two more patients while it is methodically powered up to ensure there are no kinks to iron out, Fehlis said. “It’s a slow build, but hopefully we’ll be busy in no time.”

That’s 50 patients and 50 nurses.

So far there have been no breakdowns, he said.

“Every first-time guest will be pleasantly surprised at how wonderful the facility is. It’s absolutely breathtaking. “

Fehlis anticipates operating costs of around $ 1 million annually. The expenses for the first three years were included in the originally raised $ 25 million. The capital campaign has raised an additional $ 7 million for future operations and renovations.

Other significant donors included the Don and Trudy Steen Charitable Foundation, Jeff and Carmen York Family, The Moody Foundation, the Horner Family, the JE and LE Mabee Foundation, and the Shapard Family.

“We raised $ 32 million thanks to the generosity of so many,” said Fehlis. “We want to build a really robust operational fund so that we never have to worry about it.”

AT A GLANCE: Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge

Property: American Cancer Society

Location: 210 Hall St., Dallas

Project cost: $ 25 million

Dimensions: Four floors, 40,000 square feet, 50 private suites that can accommodate a cancer patient and caregiver

Main Jones Family Donation: $ 7.5 million

Annual operating expenses: $ 1 million

SOURCE: American Cancer Society

[ad_1]