“It’s such a blessing.” That’s how Chester resident Denise feels about The Doorways, a nonprofit in downtown Richmond that serves as a haven between healing and home.
Denise became aware of The Doorways in 2012 when she was hospitalized at VCU Health and her mom stayed at the nonprofit to be closeby. “She would use the shuttle to go back and forth to the hospital and she would have some meals at The Doorways,” says Denise, who was living in Bracey, Virginia, at the time.
In 2016, Denise had to take advantage of the nonprofit herself when her daughter, Brooklynn, was born three months premature, weighing only one pound and seven ounces. The newborn spent 174 days (six months) in the neonatal intensive care unit at VCU Medical Center.
“I stayed at The Doorways for six months and then would come back when Brooklynn had treatments,” she says. “Brooklynn has come so far because she was able to stay at The Doorways [after her treatments].”
Often, when Brooklynn, who is now eight, was in the NICU, Denise would spend evenings at the hospital and retreat to The Doorways for a few hours rest during the day. It was then that she would talk with other mothers whose children had been in the NICU.
“Those are the things that got me through,” she says.
She and Brooklynn spent Halloween and Christmas at the nonprofit and “everybody there would make it special,” she says. “The staff is great. They are like family. Everyone knew us by name and would ask about Brooklynn, how she was doing and how I was doing. They were always making sure we were taken care of.”
Celebrate The Doorways and support their mission at SAVOR 2024:
Sat, March 2, The Jefferson
The Doorways and Helping Patients Heal
The Doorways, in its fortieth year, traces its history back to 1983 when members of the MCV Hospital Auxiliary of what is now VCU Health bought a brownstone (known as Zeigler House) to provide lodging for patients who had to travel MCV Hospital for treatment.
“It was always full and the need kept growing,” says Stacy Brinkley, president and CEO of The Doorways.
In 1993, what was then known as the MCV/VCU Hospital Hospitality House bought a Days Inn and raised money to renovate the property to provide private rooms with private baths. Growth continued, not only in numbers, but also the types of guests referred.
“Because of the evolution from one hundred percent inpatient to offering outpatient services [at the hospital], forty to fifty percent of our rooms contain patients today,” Brinkley says. “Patients get to know each other while they are here. They bond over dinner. It’s so supportive for families and patients.”
The diversity of patients evolves as healthcare evolves. About half of the patients at The Doorways are cancer and transplant patients followed by cardiology and trauma (around seventeen percent).
“The rest are every specialty you can imagine,” Brinkley says, adding that all of The Doorways guests are from thirty miles away or more and approximately eight percent are socio-economically disadvantaged.
“We welcome anyone,” Brinkley says. “Our average stay is around seven days, but a lot of stays go up to six to nine months – sometimes even more.”
Volunteers with The Doorways Help People in Need
The MCV Hospital Auxiliary of VCU Health is still a supporter of the organization even though it became a separate nonprofit in 1997 and rebranded as The Doorways in 2015. “We wanted to highlight our unique role between healing and home,” Brinkley says.
With a staff of thirty-two, the organization relies on its almost 500 volunteers for tasks like cleaning the windows of its 117 rooms and conducting an extensive meals program which extends from getting groceries from organizations such as Feed More to preparing and serving dinner to keeping the kitchens organized.
“They also help us organize in-kind donations, help out at the front desk, and keep the donation closet organized,” Brinkley says.
