Clara McLean House Receives Awards from National Association

The Clara McLean House is located at 20 FirstVillage Drive in Pinehurst, directly across the street from FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital.

PINEHURST –FirstHealth’s Clara McLean House has received first-place awards for its organizational brochure and its newsletter from the Healthcare Hospitality Network Inc. (HHN).

Open to hospitality houses across the nation, the annual Best of HHN competition recognizes excellence in marketing lodging services for patients and families who travel from their home communities for medical care. Awards are conferred in five categories: annual report, brochure, newsletter, video and website.  The FirstHealth program also earned a finalist distinction in the video category.

“Clara’s House really is a community house, because so many community members participate in helping to make it stronger and better,” says volunteer coordinator and newsletter editor Laura Kuzma. “The newsletter gives us a chance to recognize all the different people who, working together, make things just a little bit better for patients and their families. Reading guest comments shows them that their work does matter, and what they give to this house does go into making a place that cares for people in need. When you see those comments, you know you’ve made a real difference.”

Clara McLean House is a community-driven project supported solely through charitable donations through The Foundation of FirstHealth. Since April 2012, more than 5,000patients and guests – most who traveled long distances and all who were struggling with the physical, emotional and financial challenges of inpatient hospitalizations, outpatient treatments or hospice care – were able to stay in homelike surroundings where they could rest, relax, recover and renew their spirit.

A community resource for health information and referrals, Clara’s House also offers a wide variety of support programs. Released by email every other month, the Clara’s House newsletters are also posted on the www.claramcleanhouse.org website.

Nearly 200 hospitality houses are members of HHN, and all are eligible to enter the Best of HHN annual competition. The Fort Wayne-based Crown Jewel Marketing judged the competition this year.

“We’re very pleased to announce that the Clara McLean House has earned first place in the Best of Brochure and Best of Newsletter competition,” said HHN executive director Karylinn Echols. “The Clara McLean House has been a member of HHN for 15 years and has been actively involved in advancing the profession of hospitality housing. It has mentored and supported other houses across the nation and has been engaged in a number of national activities and committees. We are very happy that the Clara McLean House has been recognized for its outstanding marketing and messaging.”

For more information about Clara McLean House, or to make a tax-deductible contribution, call The Foundation of FirstHealth at (910) 695-7500. Anyone who is interested in getting the Clara’s House newsletter by email can contact Laura Kuzma at lkuzma@firsthealth.org.