UW News

May 1, 2008

Housewarming: Help make the Collegiana feel like home

PROV: Academic and Student Affairs

Coffee makers. Comforters. Dinnerware. These are just some of the things you can buy to help make UW Medical Center’s hospitality house feel more like home for patients and families visiting UWMC for medical treatment.

UWMC took ownership of the Collegiana, a small former inn located across 12th Avenue N.E. and just north of N.E. 43rd Street, last year as part of the University’s move to the UW Tower properties previously owned by Safeco.

As of May 1, all 28 units in UWMC’s hospitality house will be open for patients and families. Throughout May, the UWMC Service League is collecting housewarming gifts for the Collegiana. Just visit Bed Bath and Beyond on the Internet at www.bedbathandbeyond.com. Under gift registries, enter UW Medical Center as the first name and Collegiana as the second name. The registry number is 4231079. You may purchase items ranging from a set of ice cube trays for $3 to $130 for a queen-sized duvet.

You can participate by shopping on-line and having your donation shipped to the UWMC Volunteer Services office, or you may deliver a donation to the office or the Collegiana. You can also arrange a pickup for items outside of UWMC by calling Pat Poulin at 206-598-4454. You also may donate money directly to the UWMC Service League.

For all donations, please make sure to provide the donor’s name, department, and phone number. You will automatically be included in a weekly drawing, held each Friday in May, for a $25 gift certificate to the UWMC Service League Gift Shop, Espresso Bar, or Tea Room.

Patients and family members pay below market rate to stay at the Collegiana, where the rooms are quiet, private and roomy. Residents may cook in three common kitchens and relax in common sitting areas and a game room.

The Collegiana has already made a difference in the lives of many patients and families.

By staying on campus for the last five weeks, caregiver Mike Gilbert eliminated a six-hour roundtrip commute from his home north of Seattle. Gilbert wanted to be here to support his friend Toby Carpenter, who has been participating in a brain injury recovery program at UWMC.

“With where we’re from, we just couldn’t do it, not without the Collegiana,” Gilbert said.