The former address of an LDS meetinghouse at the corner of 100 South and 400 East in Salt Lake City is scheduled for new life as an American Cancer Society Hope Lodge. These facilities offer a “home away from home” environment for cancer patients who must travel from faraway homes to seek treatment in one of Salt Lake City’s state-of-the-art cancer therapy units.
The Salt Lake city construction project was sparked by the Church Of Latter Day Saints’ donation of the land in 2011. Valued at $4.2 million, this free offering provided the major impetus for initiating plans for the $18 million dollar facility. Until that point, the search for an affordable location with convenient access to medical facilities had been problematic. When it’s completed, the 63,000 square foot Salt Lake City Hope Lodge will join a network of 32 other similar facilities in the country. It will also be the second largest, housing over 800 patients and their families as they undergo treatment at local cancer facilities.
All other existing Hope Lodge facilities are located east of the Mississippi river. The Salt Lake city construction site fulfills a targeted need: in the vast open distances of the intermountain west, cancer patients are often required to travel far to receive the most up-to-date therapy. The cost of travel and lodging often discourages patients from making the long trip. In 2007, an evaluation of patients as well as regional demographics data showed a requirement for temporary housing to facilitate proper treatment of patients from outside the immediate Salt Lake City area.
In addition to donated land, the Salt Lake City construction of the Hope Lodge has also benefited from $2 million of funding from the Utah legislature, as well as donations from many private parties and foundations.
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