Helping Families During Trying Times
In 2021, Kathy’s House opened a new facility with the capacity to serve more guests and the intentional design to serve them better than ever.
The vision for the national model in hospital guest housing was the basis for the creation of our newly constructed, 38-room home, footsteps from Froedtert Hospital on the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center Campus.
As we continue to grow in our new facility, the data on this page is a testament to the impact we are having on families who need to travel to Milwaukee for medical treatment.
The Family Program for Patients & Caregivers
The Family Program for Patients and Caregivers ensures that every family facing a medical crisis, including those in financial hardship, can access needed healthcare and stay together during medical treatments.
The actual cost of a one-night stay at Kathy’s House is $113. We ask our guests to contribute a minimum of $50 per night toward the cost of their stays (and only $30 per night after 30 days). It is our goal, however, not to turn anyone away due to the inability to pay. Only through donations to our Family Program for Patients and Caregivers is this outcome possible as 75% of the families we serve cannot pay the actual cost of their stays. In fact, 10% of families cannot contribute anything toward the cost of their stays at Kathy’s House.
In Our Guests’ Words
Kathie & Ken Schwalbach
It’s been ten years since Kathie Schwalbach first stayed at Kathy’s House. After being diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2015, the Menasha resident came to Milwaukee for a stem cell transplant at Froedtert Hospital the following year. This summer, she returned to a very different Kathy’s House with her husband, Ken, for CAR T-cell therapy. She’s part of a study at Froedtert Hospital exploring the options to minimize treatment side effects for patients with leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. She can’t say enough about the experience. “This is the very best hospital stay I ever ever had,” she says. “That’s…
Toni Peet: A Crafter Comes to Kathy’s House
“I am a crafter. I like to craft,” says Kathy’s House guest Toni Peet. She’s not kidding. During her time in Milwaukee, the Georgia resident has made tutus and T-shirts, and even the balloon display for Kathy’s House’s 25th anniversary celebration. But Toni’s favorite creative outlet is much simpler. “People don’t understand,” she says. “Coloring is not just for kids. It’s therapy. It’s relaxing. That’s what got me through my journey of breast cancer.” Knowing others could benefit from the craft she loves, Toni recently organized a “Coloring and Conversation” gathering for fellow guests at Kathy’s House. Seven people came…
David Kvistad
For guest David Kvistad, a stay in Milwaukee would be completely out of reach without Kathy’s House. He’s been here nearly a month, after weeks-long stays in Lacrosse and Madison. The reason is his twenty-six-year-old son, who was seriously injured in an accident and is now a quadriplegic receiving care at Froedtert Bluemound Rehabilitation Hospital. Without Kathy’s House, David says his son would be going through rehab alone. “Without this place available, I wouldn’t have been able to stay,” he explains. “The cheapest hotel here is $129 plus parking. For thirty days, that would’ve been $3500 or more. That is…
Key Stats
View Our Impact Reports
Click the title of each report to open an interactive flipbook-style document.
