Fallon Health's frail elder program coming to Webster 

Worcester, Mass., August 7 2017 ― Fallon Health announced today that it will be opening a Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), called Summit ElderCare, in Webster.   

In the next 10-12 months, the company will be moving its Charlton PACE location 12 miles to the east, to a soon-to-be-built facility at 108 Thompson Road, Webster. This move consolidates Fallon’s Charlton operations from two buildings to one and increases Fallon’s capacity to care for at least 250 participants at one location, a 50 percent increase in potential PACE members at that site.

According to Fallon Health’s President and CEO, Richard Burke, the move was necessitated by the significant growth of the company’s PACE program over the last several years.

Now in its 22nd year of offering PACE, Fallon is the largest PACE provider in New England and fifth largest in the country, according to the National PACE Association. With more than 1,100 participants enrolled in the program, Summit ElderCare PACE Centers are currently located in Charlton, Leominster, Lowell, Springfield and in two locations in Worcester. Fallon also operates a PACE program—Fallon Health Weinberg PACE—in western New York.

Summit ElderCare is an innovative program that provides each participant with comprehensive medical care and social support such as home care, physical therapy and specialized equipment—all in one location.

The PACE model of care serves individuals 55 years and older who are eligible for a nursing home-level of care and wish to remain in the community. The PACE goal is to support these individuals so they may live safely in the community (e.g., their home, an assisted living facility, a family member’s home).

“Fallon is very grateful to the Overlook community in Charlton. We’ve enjoyed an excellent partnership for 11 years with everyone there,” said Burke. “Building a new site in Webster offers participants a brand-new facility that is close to where many of our participants live. We’re honored to continue serving the community with a program we know meets the needs of frail elders who desire to live as independently as possible and the loved ones caring for them.”

Each Summit ElderCare PACE center provides a safe environment where participants may see their doctors and nurses, take part in daily recreational and therapeutic activities and receive hot meals—all in one location. The PACE model of comprehensive care and services includes physicians and nurse practitioners who specialize in the care of older adults.  In addition, PACE addresses individual needs which often go unmet in traditional medicine including, for example, in home nursing and personal care, and support for caregivers. This coordinated comprehensive model of care is key to helping people avoid nursing home placement and continue to live safely in the community.

In addition to this, the new site will offer features to members not currently available in Charlton including:

  • More space in the day rooms
  • A larger rehabilitation center
  • More spacious outdoor patio areas
  • More exam room capacity
  • A new clinic waiting area
  • A larger library
  • An on-site hair salon

“It is an honor to care for participants in our Charlton location so that they can live as independently as possible,” said Dr. Tom Ebert, Chief Medical Officer at Fallon Health. “We’re committed to making the transition from Charlton to Webster as easy as possible for them before, during and after the move. We look forward to caring for existing participants—as well as incoming participants and their families—in a newly constructed state-of-the-art facility.”

 

Carrie Wattu
508-368-9345

About Fallon Health
Founded in 1977, Fallon Health is a leading health care services organization that supports the diverse and changing needs of those we serve. In addition to offering innovative health insurance solutions and a variety of Medicaid and Medicare products, we excel in creating unique health care programs and services that provide coordinated, integrated care for seniors and individuals with complex health needs. Fallon has consistently ranked among the nation’s top health plans, and is accredited by the National Committee for Quality Assurance for its HMO, Medicare Advantage and Medicaid products. For more information, visit www.fallonhealth.org.

All services must be provided by or authorized by the PACE Interdisciplinary Team (except emergency services). PACE participants may be held liable for costs for unauthorized or out-of-PACE program agreement.