Wanted: Philly hosts to take in patients' families during DNC

Next week promises to be a really big one for Isabella Cobos of Raleigh, N.C.

On Tuesday - the day before she turns 12 - she is having surgery for scoliosis. It's all happening here in Philadelphia.

And so is the Democratic National Convention.

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Good luck finding affordable hotel accommodations, her mother has found. Lots of places say they're booked. Some city hotels had rooms - for $350 to $550 a night.

"My husband said, 'We'll rent a minivan, and I'll sleep in the back,' " Melanie Cobos said.

Hosts for Hospitals is hoping the City of Brotherly Love can do better for the Cobos family and many others drawn to Philadelphia not by politics, but by health care.

The 16-year-old hospitality nonprofit is looking for hosts to take in loved ones of patients being treated at area hospitals during the convention, held from Monday to next Thursday, as well as right before and after.

"We need more hosts, especially in Center City and University City, to help these families from out of town," Hosts spokesman Steve Schiff said.

The group usually coordinates accommodations for 20 families a night. Already, it's up to 30 families a night for the next two weeks, and the calls keep coming in.

"We're hoping to expand the network because we're at capacity now," Schiff said. For understandable reasons, most families want to be as close as possible to Philadelphia's big hospitals, and that means Center City and University City.

Hosts for Hospitals charges just a $10-per-night-per-family service fee. Many visiting families say they appreciate the lodging, but also the kindness and support of their hosts. Since 2000, the organization has helped put up about 2,900 families.

Last year during Pope Francis' visit to Philadelphia, there was a similar housing crunch. Though hotel rooms proved more available than predicted, prices were still too steep for many families, Hosts for Hospitals leaders said.

Philadelphia always draws patients seeking specialized care, and convention week is no different.

Hosts for Hospitals has been asked to help a 65-year-old Maryland woman who will be undergoing an outpatient procedure at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital for metastatic liver cancer. She and her 39-year-old daughter need lodging for Monday and Tuesday nights.

In addition, a 69-year-old woman originally from this area but now living in Mexico is undergoing heart surgery at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania on Wednesday. She and her 64-year-old sister need a place for Tuesday, and the sister needs a place to stay for at least four more nights until the patient is discharged.

A 43-year-old New Jersey man will receive heart surgery at HUP on Wednesday, too. His 44-year-old girlfriend will need lodging starting next Thursday for seven to 10 nights.

And then there is Isabella Cobos, known to her family as "Bella," a young equestrian who also plays soccer and loves reading, especially mysteries.

Her surgery at Shriners Hospital for Children in North Philadelphia is aimed at correcting a spinal deformity that will lead to chronic pain and disability, including breathing problems. Bella's procedure, vertebral body tethering, is a newer treatment for scoliosis than the traditional spinal fusion. Her mother said they were told the timing of the procedure is closely keyed to Bella's development, so they didn't try to reschedule.

They have applied to Ronald McDonald House, which can't tell them if they have room until on or near the day of arrival, said Melanie Cobos, who is a physical therapist.

When she started calling hotels as a contingency plan, the prices were shocking. Even a motel a half-hour outside of town was $150 a night.

During Bella's hospitalization, Melanie said, she plans to stay at Shriners. Bella's three younger brothers will stay home, looked after by a grandmother. But Bella's father, Ricardo, a Realtor, also wanted to be with his daughter, and was looking at sleeping in a van.

Then the family heard about Hosts for Hospitals.

The service is still looking for a place for Bella's father to stay, but Melanie chooses to be hopeful.

"I can't tell you the relief. It's a stressful enough situation," she said. "This is a real blessing."

People interested in offering lodging can call Hosts for Hospitals director Mike Aichenbaum at 215-472-3801, or visit: www.hostsforhospitals.org.

rgiordano@phillynews.com215-854-2391 @ritagiordano