The homes are an expansion of the Banner Foundation’s ‘Home Away from Home’ program
Today, Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center, the Banner Health Foundation and Taylor Morrison broke ground on eight homes in Gilbert as part of Banner MD Anderson’s Home Away from Home program. The cost of a place to stay can be a central concern for patients and their families who travel to Banner MD Anderson for their care, and these homes provide both housing and financial assistance to those patients who might need multiple days or weeks of daily treatment or extended hospitalization.
The first eight homes are expected to be complete in early 2024. A total of 16 have been donated by Taylor Morrison and will be built by McCarthy Building Companies. Each 1,100 sq. ft. fully furnished home will feature two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, laundry room, gathering room, and a private backyards for patients, their families and care partners to enjoy. Each home is equipped with ADA accessible features, Wi-Fi and keyless door entry technology. Most importantly, all homes are within walking distance of Banner MD Anderson. The community will provide lodging for up to 160 patients each year.
“Facing a cancer diagnosis and undergoing treatment can be emotionally and physically challenging for the entire family. This program helps take away the stress of housing and commute while they are under our care,” said Mike Herring, CEO of Banner Gateway Medical Center and Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center. “We are grateful for Taylor Morrison’s shared commitment in ensuring that those who need our care can afford to do so, in homes just steps away from the hospital.”
Banner MD Anderson created the Home Away From Home program in 2019 to financially support patients in need of a place to stay during cancer treatment. The original goal was assisting patients who lacked local housing and was schedule for treatment lasting 30 or more days. That included patients undergoing a stem-cell transplant, who need to be within 30 minutes of the facility to qualify for their transplant and for post-operative monitoring, as well as blood cancer patients who receive daily treatment for weeks or months.
An estimated 100 qualifying patients and their family have had more than 3,000 hotels nights supported by the program over the past two years alone. Thanks to charitable gifts from individuals, families, businesses and foundations, including Thunderbirds Charities and the American Cancer Society, the program now assists qualifying patients with all types of cancer. And thanks to the generous acts by Taylor Morrison and McCarthy, those families can now be the under the same roof, going through both the physical and emotional battle of cancer together.
“There’s no greater gift we can provide than the comfort of home and for patients to be with their loved ones as they undergo the physical and emotional journey of cancer treatment,” said Sheryl Palmer, chairman and CEO of Taylor Morrison. “What we’re building is a community of healing, and we hope patients can feel the healing benefits that a sense of community brings when living near other patients going through similar health experiences in beautiful, clean, new homes.”
“As community builders, we at McCarthy feel very fortunate to partner with the Banner Foundation and Taylor Morrison to provide MD Anderson patients with a ‘Home Away from Home’,” said Lee O’Connell, vice president of operations for McCarthy. “The Banner Foundation’s dedication to advancing care, research, health education, patient services, and community programs is a perpetual source of inspiration and aligns with McCarthy’s mission of being advocates for community betterment.”
In 2022, thousands of patients traveled more than 30 miles each way for care at Banner MD Anderson. An estimated 330 of those patients came from outside of Arizona. Even with Banner MD Anderson’s discounted hotel rate, a patient who does not have access to local lodging could spend an average of $5,500 on hotel stays.