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SECU Family House

FAQ

What is SECU Family House?
A shared “home away from home” for patients and families in medical crisis, SECU Family House serves patients of the UNC Hospitals. It has 40 private bedrooms with attached bathrooms. Each bedroom has a TV. Eight of these rooms are suites especially reserved for immune-suppressed patients and their families. Each room accommodates up to three persons. Linens and towels are provided at check-in. A family kitchen, with lockers for each guest room, is available for guests who want to bring groceries and prepare their own meals. Several common rooms and sitting areas help provide guests a comforting homelike setting. Other amenities at the House include Internet access and laundry facilities provided free-of-charge to guests. A complimentary shuttle service to and from UNC Hospitals is provided by UNC Hospitals Transportation.
Who can stay at the House?
SECU Family House at UNC Hospitals is open to all adult (18 years and older) patients at UNC Hospitals and their family members and caregivers. Guests must have a permanent home address and must live more than 50 miles from Chapel Hill, unless their physician specifies a shorter travel time (patients/families who live less than 50 miles from Chapel Hill are allowed on a night-to-night basis if space is available). There is a limit of one room per family. Most rooms can accommodate no more than 3 guests. Suites can accommodate no more than 4 guests, and are reserved for patients with impaired resistance to infections. All rooms are reserved on a wait-list basis.
How Can I Stay/What do I need to do?
Once the House receives a referral from UNC Hospitals or a clinic, you will be placed on a waiting list for the day you will be arriving in Chapel Hill. If it is your first visit, the House will contact you directly, either by phone or by mail ahead of time. After your name is placed on the waiting list, you will need to call the House between 11 am and 4 pm on the day you will be arriving to see if we have a room available. A hotel referral at a reduced rate may be made if we do not have space available. If your circumstances change, causing you not to need a room after you have called on the day of arrival and been told you have a room, please be sure to call the House back and let us know you will not be coming.
How do I know if I have a room?
We operate on a wait-list basis. You will need to call the House on the day you expect to arrive to find out if space is available.
Are admissions prioritized?
Admission requests are prioritized based on the medical condition of the patient and the availability of other options for housing, e.g., a sleep bed in the patient’s room at the Hospital.
Who can use the House?
Adult (18 years of age and older) critical care patients from all over North Carolina and other parts of the Southeast who are being treated at UNC Hospitals for a number of life-threatening illnesses or accidents (cancer, bone marrow, and stem cell transplant, major organ transplant, burn, trauma, and serious eating disorders). Also, to use the House, you must have a permanent address and live more than 50 miles from Chapel Hill.
How long can a family stay?
A guest’s length of stay is directly related to the treatment needs of the patient. The House works with the medical and social work team to determine the necessary length of stay. Some guests stay only one or two nights, some for several weeks, and some for months. If your stay is going to exceed 21 days, it will be necessary to apply to the House’s Admission Office for an extension. When necessary, rooms will be assigned on the basis of priority.
What is the cost?
There is a suggested donation of $35 per night. This includes room, linens, use of kitchen and laundry, etc. Upon admission to the House, the guest is expected to pay up to one week in advance and each week thereafter. In addition to cash or check, we accept MasterCard, Visa, and Discover. Guests may apply for financial assistance by contacting the Operations Manager. Based on information received from the patient a sliding fee may be applied.
What are the rules?
First and foremost, our primary concern is that the guests staying at the House are safe and comfortable. We must therefore ask that each guest abide by the simple rules that we have established. Disruptive or irresponsible behavior that threatens the security or well-being of our guests will not be tolerated and will result in the loss of House privileges. We do expect that you will use the House for the purpose for which it is intended -- to enable you to receive treatment or visit your family member being treated at UNC Hospitals. We also expect that you will help keep the house clean and neat, including your room. There is no smoking inside the House or on the grounds, except in the designated smoking area. Upon admission to the House, all guests will receive more information on specific rules and consequences.
May I have visitors?
You may have visitors. Visiting hours are 9 am to 9 pm. Visitors are not allowed in guest rooms (common rooms only) and must sign in at the front desk.
Is transportation provided?
Shuttle service to UNC Hospitals is free and runs 8 am to 1 am Monday through Friday. Emergency transportation is available, as needed.
May I get mail at the House?
You may receive mail at the House. Letters should be addressed to: Last Name/Family Name, c/o SECU Family House, 123 Old Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27517.
What does the House offer?
Housing: Most rooms at the House will accommodate a maximum of 3 guests associated with one family. We have eight suites available that can accommodate a maximum of 4 guests, but these are prioritized for patients with impaired resistance to infection. Every room has a private bathroom, its own phone with voicemail, an in-room safe, and a television.

Food: We have a well-stocked pantry of donated foods for our guests (families fix breakfast and lunch on their own). During the week, we have several volunteer groups that will come in and cook dinner, and sometimes we offer pizza parties! If we don’t have a meal group, families are expected to fix their own meals. Each family is assigned a locker where you may keep personal dry and non-perishable food items. If you store items in the refrigerator, you will need to label them clearly.

Laundry Service: There is free use of washers and dryers on each floor. Detergent, bleach, or fabric softener sheets are not provided: you will need to bring your own laundry supplies. Clean linen is provided once a week, but you are free to launder your own linen in between.

Communication: Phones with voicemail systems are located in each guest room. All local calls are free, but you must use a calling card or credit card to call outside of Chapel Hill. Fax machine use is free (within reason). Internet access is available through computers in the library. If you have your own laptop, you can connect in your room or access WiFi throughout the public areas of the House. Postage can be purchased at the front desk.

Transportation: Van service to UNC Hospitals is free and runs 8 am to 1 am Monday through Friday. Emergency transportation is available, as needed. Families with transportation may purchase parking passes for the UNC Hospitals parking lots for $4.00 per day.

Entertainment: Cable television is available in each guest room; books, games, DVDs and videos are available to borrow from the library; there is a projection screen TV in the hearth room for movie night and special events; there is also a children’s playroom, access to walking trails, and a large courtyard with benches and a fountain.

Personal Items: Sanitary items, toiletries, and diapers are on-hand and can be requested. Our ability to meet these requests depends on availability.

Is the House for patients or just family members/caregivers?
SECU Family House is for patients and family members/caregivers. SECU Family House is not a medical facility and no one will receive treatment on the premises. Patients will stay when they are well enough to be out of the hospital yet need to remain under the immediate supervision of a doctor who is monitoring their medical condition on a daily basis.
Things to remember before coming for your stay
- You MUST have a referral from UNC Hospitals to stay with us.
- Check-in is from 9AM-9PM, daily.
- Bed and bath linens are provided here for you.
- We have laundry facilities but you need to bring your own detergent.
- You need to bring your own toiletry items.
- We have a kitchen that you are welcome to cook in; feel free to bring groceries.
- The suggested donation for one night is $35.