ARCHCARE OPENS SPECIALIZED LONG-TERM CARE CENTER
FOR PATIENTS WITH NEURODEGENERATIVE DISORDERS
Center One of Only Four in New York State; First in Mid-Hudson Valley
RHINEBECK, NY, June 15, 2015 – ArchCare, the healthcare system of the Archdiocese of New York, has opened a specialized residential care center in New York’s Hudson Valley for people with Huntington’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders, allowing many of the dozens of New York residents forced to go out of state for care to return to the Empire State and be closer to their families. It is one of only four neurodegenerative care centers statewide and the first of its kind in the region.
Funded in part by a $2.0 million grant from the New York State Department of Health, the 38-bed Center for Neurodegenerative Care is located within the ArchCare at Ferncliff Nursing Home in Rhinebeck, N.Y. The approximately 20,000-square-foot unit provides skilled nursing and physician care; neurological, psychiatric, and psychological care; physical, occupational and speech therapy; social work services; therapeutic recreation; and clinical nutritional support, all focused on managing the symptoms and maximizing the quality of life of those with Huntington’s and other neurodegenerative disorders.
The center will operate in collaboration with ArchCare’s renowned Huntington’s Disease Unit at Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center (TCC) in Manhattan, the largest Huntington’s Care Center in the United States. It will also work with the Huntington’s Disease Society of America, the National Parkinson Foundation, the ALS Association, and other groups to offer workshops and seminars for family members and clinicians, educational materials, and online resources, through a Center of Excellence.
Pending final regulatory approval, in July Ferncliff expects to embark on $3.9 million in renovations to create a more homelike atmosphere for residents, with a central lounge with fireplace, interior landscaping, and architectural features and finishes specially chosen to enhance comfort and safety. Space on the first floor is also earmarked for a specialized physical therapy gym for the Center’s residents, additional activity spaces, and rooms for family meetings and consultations. The project is slated for completion by mid-2016.
Huntington’s disease is an inherited neuromuscular disorder with no cure that affects muscle coordination and leads to mental decline and behavioral symptoms. Although patients require full-time care in the later stages of the disease, there are fewer than 250 specialized nursing home beds the United States dedicated to caring for them. In addition to caring for patients who return from other states, the Ferncliff center expects to attract individuals now living in nursing homes across New York State who would benefit from more intensive care in an environment designed especially for their clinical and psychosocial needs.
ArchCare has a long history of stepping in to serve society’s unmet healthcare needs. Programs such as ArchCare’s skilled nursing program for people with HIV/AIDS, a specialty hospital for children with profound neurological impairments, and its specialized services for people with Huntington’s disease all were borne out of gaps in care that others were unwilling or unable to address. Under the leadership of Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the archdiocesan health system continues to expand, today caring for some 6,000 people each day in their homes, in the community, and in nursing homes.
“We established our dedicated Huntington’s unit at TCC in 1988 with a single patient, and soon found ourselves to be pioneers in serving the complex medical, social and emotional needs of people living with Huntington’s disease,” said ArchCare President and CEO Scott LaRue. “We are pleased to bring that expertise to the Hudson Valley and be able to help those living with neurodegenerative disorders live more comfortable and fulfilling lives closer to those they love.“
About ArchCare
ArchCare is the Continuing Care Community of the Archdiocese of New York and one of the nation’s largest and most dynamic Catholic healthcare systems. ArchCare provides quality care to thousands of people of all faiths through its home and community-based and residential care programs, including long-term skilled nursing care, short-term rehabilitation, home care, assisted living, healthcare coordination plans, hospice, an acute care specialty hospital, and services for people with Huntington’s Disease, HIV/AIDS, developmental disabilities and other specialized care needs. Visit ArchCare at www.archcare.org.