JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. – The Fisher House Foundation will officially open with a ribbon cutting ceremony for the second comfort home facility at Joint Base Lewis-McChord Tuesday, at 1:00 p.m. on the Madigan campus.

The home will provide a place for military families to stay at no cost while a loved one is receiving medical treatment. It will feature 12 suites, with private bedrooms and baths, as well as a common kitchen, dining room, living room and laundry facilities.

This Fisher House is dedicated in memory of General John M. Shalikashvili, the 13th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a former Trustee of Fisher House Foundation, who was a staunch advocate for a second Fisher House to support Madigan Army Medical Center and Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

The first Fisher House opened on Fort Lewis (now JBLM) in 1992 in an area that originally contained Madigan General Hospital. A majority of the hospital moved to a brand new facility a few miles away that same year. Several medical functions remained in the original location and still operate in “Madigan Annex” today.

The new Fisher House is larger than the first and is located on Madigan’s main campus, close to the medical mall entrance.