This year, Luthercare marked 70 years of service to Lancaster and Lebanon counties. Our organization was founded when a group of devoted Lutheran congregations acknowledged a need for quality care and support for seniors. Over the years, we’ve added new senior living campuses and new service offerings, and opened up a world of potential for our residents to live active, engaged and fulfilling lifestyles.
We’ve also continued to expand on our commitment to children and their families – opening child care and early learning centers and offering scholarships to those in need, establishing mentorship programs for in-home child care providers, and forming partnerships with other entities to prepare children for kindergarten. The only constant through these years has been change! We have adapted and grown and, at times, connected with other organizations along the way as we strive to live out our mission to reflect Christ’s love through service to others. The only way we can be prepared for the future is to find innovative ways for us to build upon our rich history.
We partnered with Moravian Manor, another Continuing Care Retirement Community in our market, to jointly own Your Neighborhood Connection (YNC). YNC is an in-home care agency serving our senior living communities and the greater community as well. The partnership enables us to find efficiencies and revenues while taking better care of our residents. We’ve also explored how to grow our campuses in new and unusual ways. We developed Luther Acres on Pin Oak Drive, an independent living project in a neighborhood setting near Luther Acres in Lititz. The new twist on campus living enabled us to offer 10 brand-new townhomes in Lititz Reserve, an EGStoltzfus community.
Residents who live there enjoy the benefits of being part of Lititz Reserve with the full continuum of care at Luther Acres. At St. John’s Herr Estate in Columbia, we are in the planning stages for a 14-cottage neighborhood that will be constructed on nearby property that was once a community pool. We’re also transforming our Personal Care community at St. John’s to include memory support and a new dining experience for all residents. At the same time, our Healthcare Centers at Luther Acres and Spang Crest are undergoing renovations, including remodeled resident rooms, gathering spaces and nursing stations, with a goal of providing a wonderful experience for our residents and team members alike.
This year, we launched Greenstone Living. Greenstone Living is the vehicle that was formed to enable Luthercare to realize its vision of growth through collaboration, affiliation, acquisition and management opportunities. As part of our strategic vision, Greenstone Living will enable like-minded partners to join together to meet the challenges and opportunities that the Senior Service industry faces. We will be able to diversify our revenue streams and reduce our dependence on healthcare reimbursement. Through Greenstone Living, partner organizations will be able to maintain, as desired, their own identity and tradition while enjoying an expanded network of talent, geography and financial resources.
As the healthcare landscape changes so do we. Our Healthcare Centers are evolving to effectively manage the needs of the hospital and healthcare systems in the communities we serve while continuing to provide the high-quality care our residents have become accustomed to experiencing at Luthercare. Payment models across the healthcare continuum are changing. We are more closely integrating with hospital systems and insurers to address outcomes and cost. As we move forward and innovate our services, we will partner with healthcare systems in Lancaster and Lebanon markets – WellSpan Health, Penn State Hershey Medical Center, Penn Medicine/LGH and UPMC – on how to better improve our care and services.
I look forward to what awaits us in 2020!
In Service,
Carl R. McAloose
President & CEO, Luthercare
