Sinai Hospital of Baltimore will open a special guesthouse for patients and their families receiving long-term outpatient care. The Hackerman-Patz House at Sinai Hospital serves as a home away from home and is located on the Sinai-Levindale campus.

The Hackerman-Patz House at Sinai is designed for the Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics patients as well as other out-of-town patients and their families who need temporary housing during treatment. It accommodates up to 10 families at a time.

One of the driving forces behind the Hackerman-Patz House is John Herzenberg, M.D., co-director of the International Center for Limb Lengthening and head of the Division of Pediatric Orthopedics, who thought the facility would be helpful for his patients. Limb lengthening can take three or four months,� says Dr. Herzenberg. That presents a real challenge for families. Hotels are not convenient or affordable. It�s impractical to rent an apartment and your medical insurance won�t reimburse for it.�

Guests stay in suites designed like luxury hotel rooms complete with cable TV, sitting areas, private baths and telephone. The house also includes a number of common areas including a kitchen, laundry room, living room and multi-purpose room. The house also has a full-time manager and maintenance staff.

The project was made possible through the generosity of Willard and Lillian Patz Hackerman and their families. Guest fees, fundraising efforts and special friends will support the Hackerman-Patz House at Sinai.

For reservations and information, patients of the Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics can call Marilyn Richardson at 410-601-9553. Patients of the Alvin & Lois Lapidus Cancer Institute, call Eileen Marks at 410-601-4688. Pediatric patients, call Mary Bohlen at 410-601-6707. .