Hearthstone, a Ministry of WesleyLife, recently received a gift of fifty acres of land from Pella Regional Health Center for use as the foundation in developing a community to serve older adults in Pella and Marion County.
The land gift-located on Main Street in Pella just north of the Pella Country Club-initiates the second phase of the relationship between PRHC and Hearthstone. While the project is still in the planning phase, the new community to be developed will meet the growing need of assisted living and skilled nursing beds in the Pella area, allowing residents to stay in the community near their loved ones. The proposed development will allow residents to feel as though they are in a traditional home with a cozy living room and family-style dining area in each cottage. Located near common living areas, residents will have private rooms with private baths which will help promote independence and social engagement. Staff roles will be blended among being a caregiver, homemaker and friend.
Nancy Hamilton, Executive Director of Hearthstone says, "This parcel of land represents a new beginning for extending our services to seniors in the community. Building on the strong foundation of quality services being provided at Hearthstone, we will be able to increase the availability of assisted living and nursing care in a comforting home-like setting, which will transform the aging experience in Pella and our surrounding area."
"Our support of WesleyLife and Hearthstone here in Pella is intended to meet the needs of our community," says Bob Kroese, Chief Executive Officer of Pella Regional Health Center. "Allowing WesleyLife and the Hearthstone operation to grow and meet future needs also enables Pella Regional to continue to focus on providing high quality health care and healing services. This gift allows us to put resources in the hands of those who stand ready to leverage them quickly to benefit our community."
After Pella Regional conducted a national search in 2008 for an older adult services provider, the hospital identified an industry leader right here in Iowa-WesleyLife based in Johnston. Since 2010, PRHC and WesleyLife have been working together on long-term plans to centralize and strengthen services for older adults in Pella.