News from ... Legislative District 19

AMERIGROUP Foundation, whose mission is to increase health insurance coverage, created the Award in 2001 “to recognize the outstanding public advocacy efforts by government and community leaders in improving the health and well being of the nation’s children.” Senator Vitale commented, “It is an honor to receive the Champion for Children Award. I felt that the donation should go to St. Joseph’s Senior Home because it provides services for our vulnerable citizens. This funding will update the nurses’ call system, which is extremely outdated. By making the nurses’ jobs easier and manageable, they are able to provide a higher quality service. These seniors are deserving of effective care, and this is our way to support them.”

The Senator chose to donate to St. Joseph’s Senior Home because they are a local, charitable organization that provides crucial support for senior citizens—a population that the Senator advocates for as well.

Sister Mary Louise, the Executive Director of St. Joseph’s Seniors Residence, stated: “The money will go towards updating the nurses’ call system, which is extremely outdated. This will surely safeguard patients’ lives and improve patient care in emergency situations by making nurses more efficient. Now, rather than walking to see what is wrong and then having to return to get what is needed, the Nurses will be able to know what is needed immediately and help the patients in a more speedy manner.”

St. Joseph’s Senior Home is non-sectarian and has two main facilities: the Assisted Living Quarter and the Nursing Home (also known as the Long Term Care Unit.) There are approximately 110 people residing in the facility, and the majority of them are between ages 90 and 100. The two facilities cooperate together, and both are Medicaid and Medicare certified. There is a priority for Medicaid beds in the Nursing Home.

St. Joseph’s Senior Home has a unique history. It was originally an orphanage, and when the state banned orphanages, they opened an adult day care service. With time, more seniors needed a place to call home, and thus the Assisted Living Quarter was created. If a patient in the Assisted Living Quarter has been bed-ridden for 14 days, the state requires that the patient moves to a nursing home. This then led to the creation of the Nursing Home facility.