EVERGREEN LODGE
Home Away From Home
The Evergreen Lodge provides a peaceful, supportive atmosphere in a low-cost
home away from home for cancer patients, care givers and, as space permits,
other patients from out of the area who are undergoing extensive medical
treatment at St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka. Before Evergreen Lodge opened
its doors, no facility of its type existed on the North Coast. Those undergoing
long-term cancer treatment were faced with either paying for expensive
overnight accommodations or returning home on a daily basis. For many,
especially those from outlying areas, this proved arduous and exhausting.
At the Evergreen Lodge, comfortable, home-like surroundings provide the
physical and emotional relief patients need during the period of cancer
treatment. There is even space for a caregiver - a family member or loved
one - to stay with each patient during this critical time in his or her
medical care.
The Evergreen Lodge has fourteen private living suites, a large common
living room, and a utility room with coin operated washers and dryers.
Each suite is equipped with a telephone, television, dishes and cooking
utensils, towels, bedding, and pillows. The building is surrounded by
landscaped patio gardens and three RV pads with complete hookups. The
large community room serves as a gathering place where patients are able
to meet other families who are far from home and facing similar medical
treatment.
The Evergreen Lodge is made possible through the generosity of volunteers,
employees, physicians, and many friends in our community.
A Dream
The Evergreen Lodge began with the vision of local community members who
recognized the need for convenient, low-cost lodging for cancer patients
undergoing treatment in Humboldt County. Their vision quickly became a
reality with the help of volunteers and community groups who donated gifts
of time, materials, and money for the $800,000 project.
Members of the Rotary Club of Southwest Eureka, The American Cancer Society,
and St. Joseph Hospital, which donated the land for the Lodge, began a
fund-raising drive in 1987. College of the Redwoods students donated the
time and skills of construction students, and with the aid of local builders,
the 6,626 square foot building was completed in less than three years
and opened its doors to its first patient.
With the expansion of Evergreen Lodge in 2005, the dream continued. Once
again, the Rotary Club of Southwest Eureka, the American Cancer Society,
College of the Redwoods, and St. Joseph Hospital worked together to better
serve the needs of the community.
For more information please contact:
Janette Garrison, BSW Social Worker
janette.garrison@stjoe.org
Evergreen Lodge Reception/Volunteers
707-445-8121 ext 7980