The Fisher House program is a unique private-public partnership that recognizes the special sacrifices of our men and women in uniform and the hardships of military service by meeting a humanitarian need beyond that normally provided by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. Because members of the military and their families are stationed worldwide and must often travel great distances for specialized medical care, these homes enable family members to be close to a loved one at the most stressful time, during the hospitalization or treatment  for an unexpected illness, disease, or injury.  

The Fisher House of the Emerald Coast is located on Eglin Air Force Base across the street from the Eglin Hospital, a short walk or push by wheelchair for our families.  The doors were open to guests in October 2010. The mission is to provide a safe place for our military families to stay during their time of need.  It is open to all members of the military, active, reserve, retired and veterans.

In our case, it is not always the child that is in medical need, it is the parent.  The Fisher House of the Emerald Coast serves those children by keeping them closer to their parent while the parent is undergoing medical care.  This is important to both the child and the parent in treatment, especially if that parent has just returned from a combat zone and is undergoing long term rehabilitation or treatment.  The children of military parents are separated enough by routine deployments.  Our program enables families to be together in a ‘home away from home' during a stressful time.

Can you imagine being away from your Mom or Dad for six months, knowing he or she was injured and yet still unable to be with that parent? Imagine how that child will feel months later when he finally gets to see his parent, who has lost his leg and has had to learn to walk all over again.  A child can be a strong part of the healing process.  He would not have missed one more birthday celebration and he may have even been able to be a part of his Mom or Dad's therapy and helped through the healing process.

The Fisher House of the Emerald Coast keeps families together, and this service is important is to our children.  Whether it is a wounded warrior learning how to walk again after losing his leg, a family with a premature baby, or a family trying to find out why their son unexpectedly stopped breathing, keeping the children close to their parents is essential. These kids are separated enough from their parents during numerous deployments, your support keeps them from having to be apart longer just because they can't afford to relocate to help them heal. 

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