Construction Set for New Anna House Skilled Nursing Facility

    BRIDGETON, MO, October 30, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- The Sarah Community, a service provider of long term care and retirement options for older adults, is set to build a newly designed facility reflecting the latest innovative care trends in skilled nursing homes. St. Andrew's Management Services along with architectural firm The Lawrence Group, Hercules Construction Management Company and BSI Constructors have been selected to build the new Anna House, one of the nation's top nursing homes.

"When Anna House is completed, there will not be another nursing home like it in the St. Louis area," said Ron Mantia, Executive Director.

At its July meeting, after much review and consideration, The Sarah Community Board of Directors approved the concept and design of the new Anna House building, giving the green light for construction. With a projected cost of $17 million, Anna House is set for an early November groundbreaking. Construction is expected to take a year.

The new construction reflects the movement for services to elders with an individualized care, neighborhood concept. Individualized care means adapting to the person instead of forcing seniors to adapt to an institutional environment. Examples of the neighborhood concept include : 1) having more privacy 2) having food services available as you would in your own home 3) having a living room area 4) actively participating in all decisions regarding care.

"Part of the neighborhood concept are the amenities offered but the key difference is how the service is offered. Residents get up on their own schedule, not ours. On a daily basis, they make choices affecting their lives, just as they did when they were home," Mantia said. "It's more than the physical building; it's the way we serve them."

"St. Andrew's Management Services assisted in the development of Anna House since its opening in 1997 making many progressive renovations to improve the quality of care and living experience our residents," said Diane Meatheany, St. Andrew's Chief Operating Officer. "The time has come to take person centered care to a new level."

The updated design of the Anna House structure will positively enhance the continuum of care, connecting the Anna House skilled nursing home to the Veronica House assisted living apartments and Naomi House retirement apartments.

"The new Anna House will provide a first class environment to members of the Bridgeton community. Residents and businesses in the area will have access to a supportive place for retirement that allows people to stay in that neighborhood and receive personal care," said Sister Susan Scholl, president of The Sarah Community Board of Directors. "We're not trying to fit our care into an existing building; we're designing a building that facilitates the care we provide."

Anna House, located on the SSM DePaul Health Center campus in Bridgeton, was one of 18 nursing homes from across the country, and the only one in Missouri, selected for U.S. News and World Report 2011 Nursing Honor Roll. They were in the top 18 out of more than 15,500 nursing homes in the latest U.S. News Best Nursing Homes rankings to receive four straight quarters of perfect 5-star ratings from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. CMS star ratings are based on facility health inspections, nurse staffing, and quality of care. Five stars is optimum.

ABOUT THE SARAH COMMUNITY
The Sarah Community, founded in 1997 through the collaboration of five Catholic religious congregations - the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, Franciscan Sisters of Mary, Religious of the Sacred Heart, School Sisters of Notre Dame and the Sisters of Loretto - provides quality service for the long term care and retirement needs of their members and the general public with respect, compassion and a spirit of welcoming hospitality. The non-profit organization was developed and managed by St. Andrew's Management Services. Visit www.thesarahcommunity.org for more.

ABOUT ST. ANDREW'S MANAGEMENT SERVICES
Shaping environments that assist older adults to live life to the fullest since 1981, St. Andrew's Management Services is a premiere management and consulting firm providing innovative, high quality, cost efficient services to clients who serve older adults through housing, community-based services and health care. STAMS operates as part of the St. Andrew's Resources for Seniors System, which helps seniors, their families and caregivers find answers while addressing the needs of aging populations, helping them Worry Less.

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