The House With A Heart
Amongst the large forest covered mountains in Western North Carolina lies a beautiful home; a place where the air is crisp, fresh and clean. The location is filled with wildlife including squirrels, deer, and even a bear or two walking by on their way deep into the mountain greenery. The Rathburn Center, a hospital hospitality house of 30,000 square feet with wrap around porches, soothing waterfall ponds complete with resident frogs, private balconies, and inviting wide windows is a non-profit corporation that provides lodging and other supportive services in a ‘home like’ environment for patients and/or their caregivers coming into Asheville, North Carolina for medical treatment. The center is funded by Mission Health System, CarePartners Rehabilitation Hospital, Churches, Civic Groups, and individual private donations. It operates year round to help the family and caretakers with lodging, free of charge, for those who live outside of a 50 mile radius of the local hospitals offering a home away from home.
Our own Belle Salisbury experienced The Rathbun Center first hand when her husband, Gary suffered a heart attack on May 6th. A week later, Gary was transferred to the VA Hospital located in Asheville, NC. Upon arriving to Asheville, Belle learned that her husband’s open heart surgery would need to be delayed an additional week. After spending a week in a local hotel she learned of The Rathbun Center through the Patient Advocate at the hospital. A phone call was placed and arrangements were made for her to move to the Center to await his surgery and recuperation.
The Rathbun house is a beautiful Victorian style home on 18 acres of lush mountainside. It has 36 large bedrooms with private balconies that overlook a serene forest. The center has a very large kitchen area quartered off equipped with 4 stoves, 4 dishwashers, double sinks, and cabinets filled with every pot, pan or dish one could possibly need. As well as 10 refrigerators, and a storage pantry filled with donated food items making it similar to the comforts of home offering a choice to prepare a ‘home cooked’ meal if so desired. You will also find a large dining room, and a TV room for the residents to share. The center just added a brand new children’s’ wing earlier this year. “This is a healing place,” said Mike Sink, The Rathbun’s Development Director, “It is a place for families to come together and support one another. There are no TV’s in the bedrooms; we encourage our guests to not isolate in their room, but rather meet others that can share their experience, strength and hope with others who are experiencing the same circumstances.” Many new lifelong friendships are made during these difficult times that enable each individual to grow spiritually through one another.
Volunteers are vital to the success of The Rathbun Center and help to make the Center a “house with a heart.” Many of their volunteers have experienced similar situations as previous guests, so they understand what a family is going through when they arrive at the Center. Approximately 100 volunteers are involved in operating the Center ranging from greeting the guests at the front desk to preparing meals or snacks for the guests to enjoy, as well as landscaping compliments of the local garden clubs and maintenance.
As someone who has been a caregiver, a hospital staff member, and a patient I have learned that one of the most important aspects of hospital care is that you don’t just care for the patient- you care for the caregivers also. Since 1994 the Rathbun Center in Asheville, North Carolina has been doing just that.
Adelaide Daniels Key, a businesswoman from Macon County, North Carolina saw the need for a hospitality house
for friends and family of patients seeking treatment in the local hospitals and rehabilitation centers. She had seen firsthand the stress and exhaustion that caretakers suffer when shuttling back and forth to the treatment centers while supporting family and friends who were suffering from an illness, and as a cancer survivor herself. Using her ‘Pay It Forward’ attitude, out of these dark times was born an idea that Adelaide worked hard to bring to a reality. After sending out over 1000 surveys to area doctors to see if they felt there was a need, she came to the conclusion that there should be a hospitality house built for the care and nurturing of the caretakers. Any staff member who treats someone in a healthcare setting can tell you that a patient will heal much faster if they feel their loved ones are also being cared for.
Once Adelaide confirmed the need she made it her mission to see that the need was fulfilled. The next step was setting up a board of directors that included professionals from medicine, business, law, and education. A campaign was started to raise $3 million to purchase land to build and furnish the hospitality house. On March 26, 1993 a groundbreaking ceremony was held and the “House With a Heart” opened its doors on September 12, 1994. It was named in honor of Dr. Lewis Rathbun, a retired Asheville physician who had a pioneering school of thought: people with serious illnesses can help themselves and each other live with hope, dignity, and joy.
Since 1994 over 19,000 families and 36,000 individuals have been offered comfort and lodging inside its walls. Guests have come from 45 different states and 5 different countries. Although most stays average 6 nights, accommodations are available for up to 21 nights. There are also day rooms provided for those there for a shorter time. 
The Rathbun Center depends completely on donations. If you would like to make a donation to help contribute to their mission, please visit their web site at www.rathbuncenter.org. Any money donated will help provide safe and comfortable accommodations for families to rest and renew themselves while a loved one is ill.
