The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet have announced a collaborative agreement with Eddy SeniorCare, part of St. Peter’s Health Partners (SPHP), that will enable the sisters to continue to receive health care at St. Joseph’s Provincial House, while allowing SPHP to bring new health care services to seniors in Albany and Rensselaer counties.
As part of its long-term strategic plan, the sisters were looking for a financially sustainable path forward to care for aging members of their order who live at the St. Joseph’s Provincial House in Latham. The congregation approached Eddy SeniorCare, and the organizations reached an agreement where Eddy SeniorCare will be responsible for providing care for the sisters (who will remain at the Provincial House), and create a PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) program at the site for area seniors.
Eddy SeniorCare operates a PACE center in Schenectady, and plans to offer the same services in space that will be renovated at the Province’s building on Watervliet-Shaker Road. Following renovations, the new PACE program is expected to open in Fall 2019.
The goal of the PACE program is to enable frail older adults to manage their medical conditions and remain in their own homes.
“As we prepared a long-term strategic plan for the Province, we recognized the financial difficulty of supporting the ongoing health care needs of our older and infirm sisters on our own,” said Sister Mary Anne Heenan, CSJ, Province Director. “Partnering with The Eddy ensures our sisters will remain together here at the Provincial House, while also providing an opportunity for our neighbors to receive important day center and other health care services here on our campus.”
“We are honored the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet approached us and sought our partnership on such an important project,” said Kim Baker, president of continuing care for St. Peter’s Health Partners. “The Sisters have made and continue to make a tremendous impact on the Capital Region, guided by the same compassion and healing spirit that inform the mission, vision, and values of St. Peter’s Health Partners. It is our privilege to partner with the Sisters and provide care to the aging members of their order.”
The partnership allows St. Peter’s Health Partners and Eddy SeniorCare to establish a new elder care facility in Albany County. This facility will offer the area’s only PACE program to a larger population.
The new facility will serve as a resource for those who aim to live as independently as possible. Many of the seniors who will visit the facility will travel by chartered vans or small buses, which are not expected to result in a noticeable increase in traffic.
Participants in PACE receive all of their health care from Eddy SeniorCare staff and contracted network providers. The PACE program provides all Medicaid- and Medicare-covered benefits such as adult day health, physician, nursing, rehabilitative, social work, transportation, meals, personal care and coverage for medical specialists, inpatient hospitalization and nursing home care.
The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet are planning a capital campaign to raise the money needed for the renovations that will transform what is currently the ground floor with office space, into the space for the PACE program.
Those offices will move to other areas of the Provincial House, while the on-site nursing care facility for elderly and infirm sisters and the Sisters’ chapel will not be disturbed.
The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet is a community of women religious who, with a distinct spirit of hospitality and particular concern for the poor, serve all persons. The St. Joseph’s Provincial House on Watervliet Shaker Road in Colonie was established as the residence and administrative offices for the sisters of the Albany Province. In addition to the Provincial House, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet operate an adjacent Hospitality Center, and sponsor the nearby Shaker Pointe at Carondelet independent senior living community.
Eddy SeniorCare/PACE is a unique health management program designed to help frail elderly adults live independently in their community, manage their medical conditions and avoid nursing home placement. To be eligible, Individuals must be 55 years of age or older; qualify for nursing home level of care; qualify for long-term care services for more than 120 days; and live within Schenectady County or certain Albany County zip codes. For information, call 1-855-376-7888.
