Volunteers of America Partners with PACE Vermont
New partnership provides resources and expertise to help existing programs grow and prosper
For Immediate Release:
February 1, 2010
Contact:
Sue Watson, PACE Vermont
(802) 655-6700 or swatson@pacevermont.org
David Burch, Volunteers of America
(703) 341-5054 or dburch@voa.org
Jerry Hill, On Lok
415 292-8792 or JHill@OnLok.org
Colchester, Vt. (February 1, 2010) – PACE Vermont Inc. today announced a new partnership with Volunteers of America and On Lok to operate PACE programs in Vermont. This groundbreaking partnership, effective January 29, 2010, provides a wealth of resources and expertise that will allow PACE programs in the state to grow and thrive into the future. This support will be provided directly to the current PACE Vermont organization.
The health care and other services now provided to participants will not change as a result of this new partnership, nor will the organization which provides them. The cost of the program and the means by which participants pay for services also will remain the same.
PACE Vermont opened its first PACE site in 2007 in Colchester, and added a second site in 2008 in Rutland. PACE Vermont currently serves seniors living in Rutland and Chittenden counties, and has been growing steadily.
“We’re very excited about this groundbreaking partnership,” said Rosemarie Rae, Volunteers of America’s Executive Vice President of Strategy who oversees the organization’s “Aging with Options” initiative. “Our goal is to help seniors all over the country receive care at home and in their own communities, and PACE is one program that makes that option possible.”
“We are delighted to offer our 30 years of PACE experience to help the PACE program in Vermont be even more successful in the future,” said Bob Edmondson, CEO of On Lok.
The Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) model is centered on the belief that seniors with chronic care needs should be served in their home communities whenever possible. PACE serves people age 55 or older who are certified by their state to need nursing home care, are able to live safely in the community at the time of enrollment, and live in a PACE service area. If a PACE enrollee subsequently needs nursing home care, the PACE program pays for it and continues to coordinate the enrollee’s care.
Headquartered in Alexandria, Va., Volunteers of America has provided services that address the needs of seniors for more than a century. The organization – which provides a spectrum of human services in 400 communities in 44 states and Puerto Rico – is the largest nonprofit provider of affordable housing, fourth-largest nonprofit provider of skilled nursing care and sixth-largest provider of assisted living in the United States. Its Northern New England affiliate will be supporting Volunteers of America’s involvement in PACE Vermont. Volunteers of America already operates a successful PACE program in western Colorado, and recently launched “Aging with Options,” an initiative aimed at expanding home and community-based services to all seniors.
On Lok, based in San Francisco, pioneered the PACE model more than 30 years ago. The organization started providing comprehensive health services to seniors living in the Bay Area in the early 1970s as an alternative to nursing home care. These services allow residents to remain within the community, enjoying the comforts of home and family, for as long as possible,¬ inclusive of medical and personal care assistance. The model established by On Lok ultimately became the basis for PACE programs now established nationwide. On Lok operates 10 PACE centers in three counties in the San Francisco Bay Area, serving more than 1,000 seniors. In addition On Lok operates several senior housing facilities.
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About PACE Vermont
PACE Vermont, Inc. was incorporated as a Vermont domestic non-profit corporation in December 2003, with PACE enrollment starting in 2007. The Chittenden and Rutland long term care coalitions chose to develop PACE with a collaborative approach to governance and administration of two PACE Centers to serve frail older adults.
About Volunteers of America
Volunteers of America is a national, nonprofit, faith-based organization dedicated to helping those in need live healthy, safe and productive lives. Since 1896, our ministry of service has supported and empowered America's most vulnerable groups, including seniors, people with disabilities, at-risk youth, men and women returning from prison, homeless individuals and families, those recovering from addictions and many others. Through hundreds of human service programs, including housing and healthcare, Volunteers of America helps more than 2 million people in over 400 communities. We offer a variety of services for older Americans, in particular, that allow them to maintain their independence and quality of life – everything from an occasional helping hand to full-time care. Our work touches the mind, body, heart and ultimately the spirit of those we serve, integrating our deep compassion with highly effective programs and services.
About On Lok Senior Health Services
For over 30 years, On Lok has helped the oldest members of the community maintain independence and dignity by providing nationally recognized medical care and social services. The health care plan, known as On Lok Lifeways, serves seniors 55 and older whose serious health problems put their independence at jeopardy. The services and programs at On Lok help seniors stay active, healthy, and independent, all while still living in the comforts of their own home. The system of care, known as PACE, the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, has been reproduced at dozens of locations across the country. For more information about On Lok please visit www.onlok.org, or call 1-888-88-ON-LOK (1-888-886-6565). For the hearing impaired, call 1-415-292-8898.