Rathbun House Case for Support

Rathbun House

The Rathbun House We understand the importance of keeping families together during stressful times. When your loved one experiences a medical crisis, the last thing you should have to worry about is nearby lodging.

Owned and operated by Mission Hospital, the Rathbun House provides a convenient home away from home for patients, caregivers and their families while receiving medical treatment in Asheville area hospitals. Since 1994, the Rathbun House has provided over 29,000 families comfortable lodging and a supportive environment. Located near Mission Hospital and only a few miles away from CarePartners and the VA Hospital, the house offers 36 bedrooms, private bathrooms, common areas, and a large community kitchen. All families are welcome to stay free of charge.

For those seeking treatment at Mission Hospital and do not live in the surrounding community, the Rathbun House is convenient and accommodating.

In 2015, the Rathbun House accommodated 4,450 individuals from 40 states across the country, with an annual occupancy rate of 95%. While the Rathbun House serves individuals across the nation seeking care at Mission, many patients are from Western North Carolina (WNC). Families from Macon, Cherokee, Swain, Rutherford, Burke counties, and surrounding counties, also benefited from Rathbun services in 2015.

A stay at Rathbun helps patients and families more easily make frequent and necessary trips for medical care at nearby hospitals. Rathbun House serves the following hospitals: Mission Hospital, Memorial Campus, St. Joseph’s Campus, Sleep Center, Copestone, Care Partners Rehabilitation and Hospice, Asheville Specialty Hospital on St. Joseph’s Campus, and VA Medical Center, in addition to a handful of physician offices.

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A Vision Brought to Life Through Community Generosity The vision for the Rathbun House began with Adelaide Daniels Key, an accomplished business woman and cancer survivor from Macon County. Key understood the struggle cancer patients and their families face when coming to Asheville for cancer treatments. Long distances, multiple trips, and foreign hotel rooms, not to mention the traveling difficulties for patients with critical medical needs, make travel for treatment appointments a stressful and lonely process for so many patients and families. A nurturing hospitality house would provide a comfortable place to stay, while minimizing, if not eliminating, the isolation and anxiety that comes with hospitalizing a loved one.

Key’s vision of building a “House with a Heart” began in April 1990. She distributed over 1,000 surveys to doctors throughout Western North Carolina to assess and confirm the need for a hospital hospitality house. Support for the hospitality house initiative swiftly formed among the medical community and the public; Key’s vision was starting to take shape. She trained numerous volunteers, and formed a community Board of Directors comprised of professionals representing medicine, business, law and education. Together, they raised $3 million to buy land, build and furnish the house, and provide the first year’s operating expenses.

On September 12, 1994, the Lewis Rathbun Center became a reality, opening its arms and heart to thousands of people from all locations and walks of life. Dr. Lewis Rathbun, a medical pioneer, doctor, humanitarian, WWII veteran, artist and author, is often called “Asheville’s Dean of Medicine.” As an obstetrician-gynecologist, he focused on women’s health and specialized in cancer care. In 1977, he founded the Life After Cancer program, a support group for those living with cancer. His care of Key inspired her to name the new home the Lewis Rathbun Center, in honor of his life of service to the community.

Thousands of families, patients, and friends have experienced the warmth, love and comfort of the Lewis Rathbun Center over the years. While Key passed away in 2014, a photo hangs lovingly in Rathbun to greet new guests, and her mission and memory live on among staff, patients and families.

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Making Care Easier for Patients and Families At 32 weeks pregnant, school teacher Jennifer Schweitzer was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia, a lifethreatening condition for both mom and her unborn daughter. Jennifer was immediately transferred to Mission Hospital for a rush delivery that saved the life of her and her baby.

Because of the early delivery, Jennifer’s daughter remained in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for 26 days. Driving back and forth between Asheville and her home in Columbus, South Carolina, cost Jennifer precious time with her child, and presented a continual burden: finding available and inexpensive hotel options near the hospital.

Thanks to the help of the Rathbun House, this stressful time in Jennifer’s life was made considerably easier. The Rathbun House provided her with a safe, comforting place to stay, and allowed Jennifer to see and care for her newborn. Without Rathbun, caring for her infant daughter during those critical days would have been a daily challenge.

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How You Can Help Mission provides the staffing support needed to operate the Rathbun House. Volunteers, the “heart” of the House, also support operations by staffing the front desk. In 21 years, over 80 volunteers have donated more than 100,000 volunteer hours. Without the generous support of volunteers and our community, so much of what Rathbun provides would not be possible.

As the need for Rathbun services increases yearly, philanthropic support is essential for operations. The Rathbun House has an operating budget of $300,000 per year (not including special or capital projects). In 2015, donations to Rathbun equaled $157,000, and Mission Hospital covered $143,000 of the operating budget. Additionally, Mission approved and managed over $175,000 in various capital projects for the facility, such as key card room entry, playground fencing, and phone system upgrades.

Critical Funding Needs: • A fund for families who need to stay at the Rathbun House for more than 21 days, but are without the financial resources to pay the daily fee (charges begin for stays beyond 21 days and up to 12 weeks).

$25,000

• The front pond is a welcoming site for families as they seek peace and respite.

The pond requires annual maintenance and repair. A fund is needed to manage the annual cost of this feature.

$15,000

• An ADA compliant front door so our handicap guests can easily access the facility

$7,650

• Protection encasements for mattresses

$3,000

• Place guest rooms 1-5 on chiller line

$51,000

• Chiller buffer yank to improve efficiency of chiller

$15,000

• Holiday meals for guests (five holidays)

$500

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