The Orlando VA Medical Center breaks ground today on a place for family members to stay while a loved one is getting treated.

The Fisher House will open in late 2017 with space for 16 families. Those families of veterans being treated can stay at the Fisher House for free, and the foundation even offers donated frequent flier miles.

There are already six Fisher House locations in Florida, and two more are planned in the Tampa area.

Nationwide, the Fisher House Foundation served more than 27,000  families in 2015. The Fisher House foundation said it has saved families $320 million in lodging costs over the last 25 years, and that families have $100 million dollars in aairfare costs by collecting frequent flier miles.

WMFE is a partner with Health News Florida, a statewide collaborative reporting on health care.

Health reporting on WMFE is supported in part by AdventHealth.