Guests gather to celebrate the completion of the new St. Clara’s Rehab & Senior Care

[December 16, 2017] 

LINCOLN

On Thursday evening a private reception and ribbon cut was held at the new St. Clara’s Rehab & Senior Care center in Lincoln. The new facility is a large and beautiful single floor facility nested between its sister facility Castle Manor and neighbor Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital.

At the moment, residents are not yet living in the new building, but are scheduled to be arriving after the first of the year. The current home of those residents is located on Fifth Street and is in a building that was originally the St Clara’s Hospital. The old building featured a two story construction with a basement, and was designed with double occupancy rooms. On Thursday evening, as guests toured the new facility, many comments were heard about the bright airy feeling of the building, the use of real windows in certain activity and therapy rooms and the wonderfully comfortable feeling of the many common areas within the building. All these assets were noted as in stark contrast to the soon to be former facility.

The evening began on Thursday with food and drink served during a short social hour. Guests were directed to the nearest common area after entering the main lobby where they enjoyed cocktail tables and dining tables seating four as a place to gather as they enjoyed a variety of beverages and finger foods.

At 6 p.m. Janell Woolard, Community Relations Coordinator, serving as the emcee for the evening, invited everyone to return to the main lobby for a short list of guest speaker comments, followed by a ribbon cutting. After the ribbon cutting, guided tours were offered with certain staff members taking up stations at specific points in the tour to assist with sharing the purpose of certain areas and talk about how it will impact residents.

Woolard began with a list of “thank-yous” to St. Clara’s Marketing staff and also to the contractors whom she said had tolerated her “tramping” through with tours as work was underway.

The first person to address the guests gathered in the expansive lobby was St. Clara’s Administrator Mike Eads.

Eads said he was honored to welcome everyone into the facility, and that he had been a part of an “incredible journey” as he watched it go from a “hole in the ground, to what you see today.”

He said the building represented a new way of life for residents and future residents, with a place to enjoy adventures and wide open spaces and that “most importantly, it is a place to thrive.”

He said that speaking for himself and his staff, all were humbled by the opportunity to serve this community and the residents.

Eads added a long list of “thank-yous” including appreciation for the Heritage Home Office team, the architects, contractors, and others involved in the physical construction of the building. He thanked the St. Clara’s Board of directors for their support.

Eads concluded that he wanted to thank all in attendance, and also wanted to acknowledge Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital and said it was good to be their neighbor again.

Next up was St. Clara’s board member Clyde Reynolds followed immediately by board member Tonita Reifsteck.

Reynolds did a brief walk through history saying that the facility today that was “actually the latest flower to bloom on a vine that was planted back in 1886 when St. Clara’s Hospital was first conceived.” He noted that the hospital closed in 1962 and reopened in 1964 as St. Clara’s Manor. He said that Castle Manor was a shoot from that original vine as was this new St. Cara’s facility.

Reynolds went on to say that the facility was more than a dot on a time line, it was a representation of another step to providing a continuum of care for senior citizens. He also said the dream was not entirely fulfilled, there was still more that could be done. He talked about developing an independent living program that included housing for those who wanted to maintain independence.

Reynolds added some “thank-yous” as well including the State Bank of Lincoln, and the many people who have served quietly behind the scenes, such as the St. Clara’s Board Members.

Tonita Reifsteck spoke about her love for the St. Clara’s organization and the residents of the facility. She revisited her personal history, noting her father-in-law, her daughter, and her husband had all been a part of the St. Clara’s mission. She said what she had found was an extended family that she held dear including the staff and residents.

Reifsteck noted a big improvement in the new facility over the old. She said “I want to be here when the ladies and gentlemen in therapy walk in to work with their clients with open windows instead of a picture of an open window. I want to see the residents who right now don’t want to give up their roommates because they have become good friends. But now, there is a corner where they can go together and visit as good friends still.”

Reifsteck encouraged all to become involved, and she invited everyone to “come be a part of our family.”

Lincoln Mayor Seth Goodman also spoke along with Dolan Dalpoas, President of ALMH, and Ben Hart President and CEO of Heritage Operations Group, the ‘mother company’ that now owns St. Clara’s along with Castle Manor and several other nursing and independent living communities.

Mayor Goodman brought a very lighthearted note to the event when he said he thought he knew what he was going to say in his address, but after seeing the facility, “It is obviously beautiful and right now I’m trying to figure out who to beg to lower the age limit so I can move in!”

Goodman also recalled that he is a former employee of St. Clara’s Manor, working there in dietary when he was 15 years old. He spoke of the friendships he build and the bonds that have remained.

Goodman closed by congratulating St. Clara’s on a wonderful new facility that was an asset to the community.

Dolan Dalpoas thanked the administration at St. Clara’s for the invitation to be a part of the momentous event. He congratulated them on a wonderful new facility and said he could personally sympathize with the worries, waiting, and anticipation of being part of a major construction project.

Dalpoas would go on to remember the day when ALMH was located within a block of St. Clara’s. He said he missed that closeness, and was so pleased to once again have St. Clara’s in his back yard.

Dalpoas also spoke about the quality of health care in Logan County with excellent doctors and excellent facilities.

Ben Hart, the President and CEO of Heritage Operations was the last person to speak. He congratulated St. Clara’s and their boards and staff saying they along with facilities like Castle Manor, Heritage had the courage and foresight to develop these kind of facilities in the community.

He concluded saying, “for the next many decades, into the future Lincoln will be served very well in care for their seniors.”

Woolard returned at the end of the presentations to offer up one last note of appreciation. She said “There is not enough room on the program for the many things to the Woods Foundation for their contribution.” She acknowledged Bill and Lori Bates who were present for the presentation. Woolard concluded, “Tonight we officially unveil the Woods Rehab Gym.”

As Reifsteck had eluded earlier, the physical therapy gym is located at the front of the main entrance, and has ceiling to floor windows on multiple sides so that those exercising can look outside while they workout.

Common areas and community rooms are comfortable with tables for cards, board games or coffee with friends. There are large areas with cozy seating grouped nicely around electric fireplaces, and at the end of each wind is a small private gathering area where friends and residents can gather in small intimate groups for visiting.

The new Activity room is staged with tables and cares as well as sink and oven, and is right around the corner from a coffee clutch area.

One big question for many during the construction of the new facility was about the stained glass windows located in the chapel of the old building. Those windows have been carefully removed and brought to the new facility and are once again an important part of the St. Clara’s Chapel.

Scattered throughout the building are wonderful living plant walls such as this one that is part of the main entry. Overhead the plants are filtered sky lights that glow down on the plants in the day time and provide them with the light they need to thrive.

The resident rooms are simply furnished with a bed, night stand, and one arm chair, and flat screen television, leaving plenty of room for personalization by the occupant.

For those wishing to see this wonderful new facility, there will be a public open house held on Sunday December 15th from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

[Nila Smith]