MORGANTOWN – Mon Health leaders, local officials and legislators deeply appreciated the cozy warmth of Vandalia Health Mon Medical Center’s Caring Cottages Friday afternoon.
They provided an escape from the snow and biting wind before and after the ribbon-cutting ceremony to dedicate the first two cottages.
Laura McCall, senior director of Philanthropy, told the chilly attendees assembled outside before the brief ceremony, “We feel that dedicating these cottages during the holiday season just reinforces what the cottages are meant to be: a home away from home.”
The Caring Cottages are fully furnished apartments with a bedroom, living room/kitchen, bathroom/shower and combination washer/dryer. They are intended to serve patients and their families coming in for care from out of town, to provide a comfortable place to stay without the patients and families having to worry about a hotel bill.
The cottage’s interior walls are fragrant wood panels. Artworks donated by local artists decorate the walls. They’re climate controlled to be warm in winter and cool in summer.
Krystal Atkinson – chief administrative officer and chief nursing officer of Vandalia Health Mon Medical Center and chief nursing executive of Vandalia Health–Northern Region – said the warm, homey environment will allow families to take a break from the hospital atmosphere, take a break from being a caregiver and be cared for themselves.
The first Caring Cottage guest – her letter was read aloud – talked about how the cottage eased her burdens while she and her husband were in town for his surgery. “I was amazed with the close proximity and the cozy atmosphere of the cottage.”
The Mon Health Medical Center Auxiliary raised the money for the two cottages plus an endowment to sustain the project – at its final two Balls of the Year. The cottages are situated along Pineview Drive and the lot has space for four more.
Mon Health President and CEO David Goldberg told the shivering attendees, “This came from philanthropy. Every dollar raised here came from the community, to be able to have a warm and nurturing home. That’s the heart of Mon Health.”
