MINNEAPOLIS, Minn — A first-of-its-kind healing center for burn survivors will officially open its doors Wednesday night.
Firefighters for Healing founder Jake LaFerriere knows all too well what burn survivors and their families go through after he suffered burn trauma working as a Minneapolis firefighter back in 2010.
"As I transitioned out of the burn unit, I couldn't really take care of myself like they would do at in-patient in the hospital," Jake said. "A facility like this would have been very much more applicable for me and profound really essentially so I could be close to the hospital to go back and get daily dressing changes, therapies, those kind of medical interventions that you need."
To help burn survivors and their recovery, the nonprofit decided to open the Transitional Healing Center, a facility unlike any other in the country.
"The existence of the organization is just over 12-and-a-half years and this project alone was six-plus years, so it's just surreal," said Jake who compares the Transitional Healing Center to a Ronald McDonald House Charity. But instead of supporting families undergoing medical treatments, this center helps burn survivors, firefighters and first responders.
"We house people in time of need, and their families and they get a chance to stay here anywhere from a couple days on to 13 months, which is the longest stay we've had," said Jake.
The 15,000-square-foot healing center is on the second floor of The Moment apartments in downtown Minneapolis. It has 12 fully furnished suites with their own laundry and kitchen. It even has a communal space where families can connect.
Jake said the free emergency housing comes with access to a network of support.
"They are here, they can do their laundry, they can park for free, they are not worrying psychologically, 'Oh gosh am I feeding the meter, how am I going to get my laundry done, how am I going to rebook another stay to come back here...' All of that is taken right out of the equation so they can just worry about their loved ones and healing," said Jake.
The Transitional Healing Center will be connected directly to Hennepin County Medical Center, so patients and their families will have direct access to the burn unit.
Jake says this was so many years in the making and it's completely made possible by donations.
If you would like to donate or volunteer you can find more information here.
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