NORTH CHICAGO – A new Fisher House was dedicated at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center by Lovell FHCC Director Dr. Robert Buckley; Deputy Director, Commanding Officer NMRTC Great Lakes CAPT Chad Roe; and Chairman and CEO of Fisher House Foundation Kenneth Fisher.

Secretary of the VA Doug Collins shared remarks at this historic dedication marking the 100th Fisher House in the Fisher House network that serves military and veteran families across the country and overseas.

Lovell FHCC is the nation’s only fully integrated Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs medical facility making this the first Fisher House with the mission to support both military families and Veteran families.

“Fisher House has the important role of ensuring Veterans and servicemembers don’t have to heal alone,” Collins said. “We are proud to welcome the 100th Fisher House facility to the Lovell Federal Health Care Center, where it will be the first Fisher House serving both military and veteran families.

The more than 14,000-square-foot Fisher House will provide lodging for families of veterans and military members at no cost, allowing them to be close to their loved ones at the most stressful times, while they are receiving medical care. At full occupancy, it can save military and veteran families more than $1.3 million each year, but more importantly, the new Fisher House will allow patients to receive care they could not readily access in the past without a place for their loved ones to stay.

“This day has been long in coming, and to say we’re excited to open the 100th, and the first Department of Defense and VA Fisher House in the nation, is an understatement,” Buckley said.

This Fisher House is part of a network of 100 homes located across the country, in Germany, and in the United Kingdom. An additional house in Little Rock, Arkansas is under construction, as well.

“In North Chicago, where both military and veteran families come for care, we’ve built a home that reflects the community’s strength and compassion,” said Kenneth Fisher, chairman and CEO of Fisher House Foundation. “The 100th Fisher House is not just a number – it’s a symbol of our national promise to stand by those who serve, past and present.”

The new Fisher House at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center has 16 accessible suites, a spacious kitchen, large communal living, dining and family rooms, a laundry room, and a shared patio. The home was gifted to the center upon completion as part of the public-private partnership between Fisher House Foundation, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Veterans Affairs.