Barkley House

Barkley House, a proposed guesthouse at the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, was accepted as a Provisional Member of the National Association of Hospital Hospitality Houses. With this, Barkley House becomes the first "animal-related" house on their membership rolls.

Barkley House is designed to be provide temporary housing for people and pets when those pets are undergoing long-term medical care at the college’s Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. The facility will provide low or no cost temporary lodging. Many times the cost of lodging, or time needed for travel to and from a distant medical facility, is a determining factor if an animal receives life-saving medical care.

The National Association of Hospital Hospitality Houses, Inc. (NAHHH) is a national, non-profit association of facilities that provide lodging and other supportive services to human medicine patients and their families when confronted with medical emergencies.

Nationally, more the 150 NAHHH member houses provide shelter for more than a quarter of a million people each year. From the start, the NAHHH has grown steadily; successfully promoting the development of new houses, while lending assistance to members for the improvement of their operational, fund development and public awareness efforts. Most operate on budgets that would seem unbelievably small by corporate standards.

The Barkley House concept is unique in veterinary medicine, and, if built, would be the prototype for other veterinary medical hospitals. The building is envisioned as a three-story, Victorian-style house consisting of suites with kitchenettes, a family room, a resource library, laundry facilities, central dining area, porches, an exercise area for animals, and a secluded garden. The structure is designed to enhance interaction and support between clients of the veterinary teaching hospital and their seriously ill pets. Allowing pets to remain with their families may help speed their recovery and lessen anxiety during treatment for both patient and owner.

The house will also provide veterinary students with additional opportunities to enhance their client communication skills and directly monitor patients who might otherwise go home.

The timeline for the start of construction depends on an ongoing fund-raising effort. About $2.4 million in funds are needed to build, furnish, and maintain Barkley House. The facility will be funded entirely through private donations.

Having access to free or reduced-cost lodging helps reduce the total cost of medical care—for both animal and human patients. On-going treatments, like radiation or chemotherapy, may not require overnight hospitalization, but usually involve a series of exhausting treatments for patients, especially if daily round trips to the hospital are required. Even when medical treatment is covered by insurance, living expenses are not. Many families cannot afford hotels or motels.

The MU Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital offers veterinary healthcare not universally available, particularly in rural areas. Sophisticated treatments such as are done in oncology, orthopedics, neurology, or cardiology, may take several days or several weeks to complete. Often, animal owners from Kansas City, St. Louis, and Springfield are referred by their hometown veterinarians to the MU facility for specialized treatment.

NAHHH started with a sick child. The first home, in Buffalo, was purchased in Jan. 1972 by Cyril and Claudia Garvey of Sharon, Penn., whose son had died of leukemia. The Garveys wanted to help others who found themselves in similar situations. After extensive renovations, the "Kevin Guest House" opened in July 1972.

The Barkley House project at the MU College of Veterinary Medicine was first envisioned by a veterinary oncologist, Dr. Carolyn Henry, who saw that there was no easy way for many of her clients to remain near the teaching hospital while their pets where undergoing lengthy cancer treatments.

Dr. Henry named the project after Barkley, a Great Pyrenees dog, who was driven by Sally Truscheit from Kansas City to the Veterinary Teaching Hospital for radiation therapy. When an injury prevented Sally from making the repeated trips, she came up with the idea of a guesthouse that could reduce some of the obstacles for pet owners whose animals are undergoing long-term treatments. Hence, the concept of Barkley House was born.

Contributions to Barkley House are tax-deductible, as provided by federal law. To donate to the project, please contact: Director of Development, Office of the Dean, MU College of Veterinary Medicine, W-203 Veterinary Medicine Building, Columbia, Missouri 65211. Phone: 573.882.5972 or 888.850.2357. Email: barkleyhouse@missouri.edu

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