Hope grows at new healing place

Patients closer to Boston hospitals

The AstraZenca Hope Lodge Center in Jamaica Plain. (Globe Staff Photo / Pat Greenhouse)

Mike Fletcher has spent much of the past two months commuting back and forth to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatments for bone cancer that was diagnosed this time last year.

Rather than stay closer to the city, Fletcher, 57, of Florida, took up residence at the Worcester Hope Lodge, a nine-suite hospitality facility run by the American Cancer Society that offers free accommodations to patients undergoing treatment away from their own community.

"Cost was a definite factor, but I was also looking for support, in terms of what I would receive myself and what I could give to others," Fletcher said earlier this month as he was preparing to head home. "There are some alternatives, but this was really the best one of the bunch."

Similar support services and cost-free accommodations will soon be available - minus the commute - for some cancer patients traveling from out of town to receive medical treatment in Boston.

The American Cancer Society plans on Wednesday to open the AstraZeneca Hope Lodge Center in Jamaica Plain, a $27 million project that features 40 private suites as well as shared cooking and dining facilities, a library, and a small screening room.

Four years in the works, the lodge was built on the site of the former Vincent Memorial Hospital, which is a short drive to the Longwood Medical Area. About 60 "hospitality beds" are currently available for cancer patients from out of town, including the Boston Ronald McDonald House and the Neely House at the Tufts-New England Medical Center.

The project was funded with private donations, including $7 million from AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, enabling the organization to provide up to 14,600 free nights of temporary housing in Boston for cancer patients each year. The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Mass. General have each donated between $2 million and $2.5 million, while another $1 million still needs to be raised, according to Thomas Sellers, the chief financial officer and project manager. Annual operating costs will likely reach as high as $1 million, he said.

Unlike staying at a hotel, guests at the lodge clean up after themselves, wash their own laundry, and cook their own meals.

"People have a personal stake in it and they actually have a sense that they're part of the community while they're here," said Bryan Harter, a Jamaica Plain resident who serves as director of the South Huntington Avenue facility. "We really want people to get out of their room, especially people that are so fatigued, to get them to stay motivated and maintain that quality of life."

Many green features were included in the renovations to the 101-year-old former hospital building and in the new addition in the back, among them maximizing natural light sources.

"It's very healing, and it provides an environment that is really terrific for the patients," said Sellers, noting that the project has applied for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold certification, considered the most rigorous standard awarded by the US Green Building Council.

Patients interested in staying at the center must live at least 40 miles or a one-hour drive from the facility, and priority is given to people seeking three or more nights of lodging.

The average length of stay for patients is six to eight weeks, Harter said, based on the 27 similar facilities operated by the American Cancer Society throughout the country.

Fletcher, a few minutes after returning on the shuttle bus from several hours of treatment, said the new facility will be "a great benefit."

"It's a wonderful place here in Worcester," he said, "but it's a lengthy drive to Boston, and in traffic it can be tiring at times, to say the least."

Richard Thompson's e-mail address is thompjourn@gmail.com.