City’s first transplant house to open at Penn

Penn will open Philadelphia’s first transplant house July 1 to aid organ transplant patients and their families.

The Clyde F. Barker Transplant House, located at 3940 Spruce St., will serve as a live-in center for families whose loved ones are undergoing and recovering from organ transplantation at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

Penn is currently taking reservations for its first batch of stays, Penn Medicine spokeswoman Olivia Fermano said.

Able to accommodate nearly 50 family members and recovering patients in its 12 suites, the $5-million Transplant House will serve as more than just a place to stay, said Abraham Shaked, director of the Penn Transplant Center. The building will be a community center for families to learn about the transplant process, join support groups and connect with others in similar situations, he added.

Shaked noted that because transplantation “is not just a surgery” but a life-changing procedure, the Transplant House “makes a tremendous difference for patients” and their families by reducing stress over finances and living arrangements.

Families can stay at the House for only $60 a night — significantly less than staying at a nearby hotel — and do not have to worry about finding a residence when patients are called to immediately undergo the procedure, Senior Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer for the University of Pennsylvania Health System Kevin Mahoney said.

The facility was built entirely from donated funding, time and materials at no cost to Penn or to UPHS, Mahoney said. The project has been in the making for almost six years.

Construction for a similar transplant house, sponsored by the Gift of Life Donor Program, broke ground in October in Philadelphia — reflecting the growing need for enhanced patient and family support.

According to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, the non-profit organization that manages the national organ transplant system, HUP performed 103 transplant surgeries in the first three months of 2011. Three-hundred-and-ninety transplants took place at HUP in 2010.

While the House is situated at the corner of 40th and Spruce streets, sandwiched between fraternity houses and late-night dining such as Allegro Pizza and Copabanana, Mahoney said the location was ultimately chosen after talking with nearby residents and deciding the setting was not an issue.

Mahoney added that students may even “provide a distraction” for families sitting outside the House, as they see that life is going on outside of their situations. “Young people are invigorating,” he said.

As a transplant surgeon, Shaked said the House will help facilitate a better experience for the patients as well as his colleagues. “It’s a great thing to help, no question about it,” he added.

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