Altoona city leaders approve Grace Lutheran healthcare campus
Monday, October 13, 2014 Nikki Junewicz, Anchor-WEAU
Altoona - By a unanimous vote, the Altoona Plan Commission has approved a Grace Lutheran Foundation state of the art healthcare campus. Construction is scheduled to begin in May of 2015, with completion and grand opening scheduled for June of 2016.
The new 18.5 million dollar site will include at least three distinct buildings including a cutting edge rehabilitation center. Other building plans include a long term care facility to replace the existing Syverson Lutheran home, and a community center.
Grace Lutheran Foundation C.E.O. Mike Christensen was excited about the approval. "We're very appreciative of the city of Altoona and Mike Golat and the mayor. This is absolutely fantastic for us and the community", he said.
The new campus will be built on 9.2 acres along the Highway 53 bypass just south of the new Oak Leaf Hospital. The site is bordered by Spooner Avenue to the south and North Willson Drive to the east. The project will accentuate the existing Grace Lutheran Foundation long term care currently provided one block away at the Grace Edgewood Assisted Living facility. The project is also expected to add much needed skilled healthcare jobs to the area.
The new facility will be unlike anything currently offered in the Chippewa Valley and will provide the best possible care in a residential like environment.
"It's going to bring that home like environment into the long term care industry, and provide a quality of care that doesn't currently exist in the city", Christensen said.
These facilities will offer person-centered care and a household design. Residents will enjoy living in a home-like environment that focuses on independence and community. Each resident will have a private room and bathroom with shower, and will also benefit from the common spaces shared by all the residents in their household. Access to the outdoors and state-of-the-art technology complete the amenities to make our residents feel like they are truly in their own home.
Residents will have the ability to direct their own goals within their household. They will be able to schedule the activities they want to participate in. Dining schedules will be flexible with menus that are adaptable to the resident's wants and needs. Residents will be able to control the heating and cooling within their personal areas.
We will be the premier location for both long-term senior care and short-term rehabilitation in the Chippewa Valley. Read more about this article »
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