Sisters of St. Joseph, Eddy team up to serve seniors

The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet have reached 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 in Latham while allowing SPHP to bring new healthcare services to seniors in Albany and Rensselaer Counties.

As part of their long-term strategic plan, the sisters were looking for a financially-sustainable path to care for aging members of their order who live at St. Joseph’s Provincial House. The religious order approached Eddy SeniorCare, and the organizations reached an agreement: Eddy SeniorCare will care for the sisters at the Provincial House and will create a PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) program at the site for area seniors.

Eddy SeniorCare already operates a PACE center in Schenectady. The new PACE program in Latham is expected to open in fall 2019. The day program helps frail older adults manage their medical conditions and remain in their own homes.

“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 healthcare services here on our campus,” said Sister Mary Anne Heenan, CSJ, province director.

“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,” said Kim Baker, president of continuing care for St. Peter’s Health Partners.

Many of the seniors who will use the PACE program will travel by chartered vans or small buses, which are not expected to result in a noticeable increase in traffic. Participants in PACE receive their health care from Eddy SeniorCare staff and contracted network providers.

The program provides all Medicaid- and Medicare-covered benefits: adult day health; physician, nursing and rehabilitative care; social work; transportation; meals; personal care; coverage for medical specialists; hospitalization; and, for the elderly and infirm sisters, nursing home care.

The Sisters of St. Joseph are planning a capital campaign to raise the money for renovations to transform the Provincial House’s ground-floor office space into space for the PACE program. The order’s offices will move to other areas of the Provincial House. The on-site nursing care facility for elderly and infirm sisters and the sisters’ chapel will not be disturbed.

(To be eligible for Eddy SeniorCare/PACE at the new location when it opens, individuals must be 55 years of age or older; qualify for a nursing-home level of care; qualify for long-term care services for more than 120 days; and live in Albany or Rensselaer Counties. For information, call 1-855-376-7888.)