CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- One of the many benefits service members and their families have access to aboard Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California, is the Fisher House Camp Pendleton. This base amenity is available for family members of patients receiving serious or emergency medical care at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, providing them with complimentary lodging.
The Fisher House aboard Camp Pendleton opened its doors in May 2015 and has been welcoming families ever since. The Camp Pendleton house can accommodate up to eight families at a time, and is located within walking distance of Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton and the Intrepid Spirit Center.
“Our main goal is to provide a home for families to be comfortable in and focus on their loved one in the hospital,” said Vickie Powell-Johnson, the general manager for the Fisher House Camp Pendleton. “We try to provide all the amenities to give the family a comfort of home.”
Along with the eight private single family living quarters, Fisher House Camp Pendleton offers a shared kitchen, laundry facility, dining room, living room and family room. Families eligible to stay at the Fisher House must be traveling a minimum of 40 miles with no local lodging accommodations available. A referral can be submitted by NHCP personnel on behalf of the families to the Fisher House.
“Our main goal is to provide a home for families to be comfortable in and focus on their loved one in the hospital.” Vickie Powell-Johnson, Fisher House Camp Pendleton general manager
Powell-Johnson says Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher started the Fisher House program in 1991. The program has consistently maintained their standards providing a comforting home for families with patients in the hospital.
Pauline Trost, the wife of Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Carlisle Trost, had gone to the Fishers with an idea to create temporary lodging for families at major military medical facilities. Within 10 years of opening, 28 houses were built. In 2019, 84 houses had been built worldwide. The Fisher House has helped more than 335,000 families and provided over 8 million days of lodging, saving families an estimated $500 million in lodging and transportation costs.
“At the end of the day, we hope that everything turned out in a positive light and the families found peace and comfort here,” said Powell-Johnson. “We love that they become part of our Fisher House family.”
For more information about the Fisher House, visit http://www.fisherhousecamppendleton.org or call 760-763-5308.