Author: bschmidt

The second phase of the NewCourtland Apartments at Allegheny opened, offering 40 new, one-bedroom, affordable apartments designed specifically for seniors 62 and older.

In April of 2017, NewCourtland purchased the former Liddonfield Homes site in Northeast Philadelphia, with plans to construct a 33 acre campus offering senior housing and healthcare services.

To view news coverage on this story by The Philadelphia Inquirer, click here.

Beginning with 20 Hershey Kisses, through a 21-chef strong Diversity Cook-off, to a “Bright Idea” suggestion campaign, the NewCourtland Network proudly celebrated the lead up to its 20 anniversary months before the ceremonial date. Through giveaways and events connected to NewCourtland’s seven organizational values, employees and seniors were able to join in the festivities long before the party officially started.

For most of 2002, WHYY aired several segments as part of its “Shorts” series highlighting Comfort & Joy programming, including: Reading Buddies, The Healing Quilt, Music in the Homes, and the Golden Eagle Scouts.

Click here to view these clips.

On August 1, 2014 the NewCourtland LIFE Program expanded its service area to include 10 new zip codes. This means that, for the first time, low-income Northeast Philadelphia seniors who are 55 and older have access to a comprehensive program that is committed to keeping them as independent as possible, for as long as possible,
in the place they call home.

View some past editions of HOMEWORDS:
Fall 2002 Edition
Summer 2004 Edition
Winter 2004 Edition
Fall 2005 Edition

2005 Special Edition
Winter 2005 Edition

Summer 2006 Edition
2007 Special Edition
Summer 2007 Edition
Winter 2008 Edition

On June 2, 2003, the Esther M. Klein art gallery opened a month-long exhibit hosting the culmination of 5 years of intergenerational artwork produced by NewCourtland’s Comfort & Joy program which included the Peace Quilt, the Healing Quilt, talking quilts, handmade dolls, and a photography project.

In order to grow a successful corps of nursing leadership during the nursing shortage of the late 1990’s, NewCourtland instituted the 10k club, which offered salary bonuses, association memberships and conference attendance to RN’s in the Network.

This arts and entertainment based program was established to bring performance artists from around the area into the nursing homes for the enjoyment of the residents and staff, while creating programming which allowed the “voices” of the seniors to be heard outside the walls of the nursing homes. Since its inception, Comfort & Joy has drawn local, regional, national, and international attention while encouraging seniors to remain involved and active in their communities.

In spring 2014, NewCourtland Senior Services released the inaugural issue of Senior Scope.
This bi-annual publication is designed to share stories centered around the fastest-growing population in the City of Philadelphia — those 55 and older. 
To view the inaugural issue, click here.

Click here to view the video.

This partnership supports not-for-profit organizations that have a stated mission of providing housing and/or programming to low-income seniors. The Foundation’s commitment will also extend to train and educate personnel who work, or wish someday to work, in support of those seniors.

 The values are:

• Respect         • Excellence

• Diversity         • Education

• Innovation      • Stewardship

• Tradition

This transition enables NewCourtland to focus on and adapt to the changing needs of today’s senior, offering a more community-centric service model while still maintaining a commitment to skilled care in a nursing home setting through the services offered at Germantown Home.

On January 25, 2010, U.S. News and World Report highlighted sensor technology used in the NewCourtland Network.

To view the article, click here.

Made possible through the support of Recovery Act Funding awarded by the Pennsylvania Department of Aging to revolutionize nutrition programs for Older Pennsylvanians, the GreenBean Internet Café serves as a modernized version of “surf & turf” enabling seniors to surf the web as they congregate for meals and social activities and serves nearly 45,000 meals annually. Click here to view the video.

On May 25, 2008, the New York Times highlighted sensor technology used in the NewCourtland Network.

To view the article, click here.

Transitions: Sung Stories, the original work produced by NewCourtland and Opera North began development in 2008. The work, which was performed by seniors and professionals, was based on the lives of Network seniors.

This award-winning health education program launched in the spring of 2007 and targeted adults 55 and older, their families and caregivers to provide them with the tools to reverse or prevent diseases.

NewCourtland launched the SELF program to promote emotional, spiritual and physical health and improve seniors’ quality-of-life by helping them achieve their personal functionality goals, and reduce feelings of sadness and isolation.

Gail Kass, NewCourtland’s President & CEO was selected by Governor Edward G. Rendell to serve as a primary delegate for the 2005 White House Conference on Aging (WHCoA). Kass was one of seven people chosen for this prestigious position by Governor Rendell to represent the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania at the conference, which was held December 11-14, 2005, in Washington, D.C.

As the Network Pastoral Care Program grew, the first service award dinner was held to honor those volunteers. That night, the NewCourtland Education Center was packed with hundreds of individuals who selflessly served the seniors in the Network.

Developed by Patricia Quigg in 1982, the Reading Buddies program promotes reading as a tool for developing intergenerational awareness. In 2004, this program expanded to all Network nursing homes.

To see a video clip on Reading Buddies, click here.

Kearsley, an 84-bed nursing home located just off the Bala Golf Course in West Philadelphia, was part of the NewCourtland Network from 2004-2011.

In 2003, Maplewood Manor residents and local students created the Peace Quilt to honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The purpose of the Employee Councils was to provide a Network-wide interdisciplinary forum with the organization’s President and CEO. This provided an opportunity for all employees to discuss resident-centered issues, ideas and solutions directly with Network leadership.

Through this program, new LPNs in the NewCourtland Network were able to further hone their skills through an eight-week program designed to prepare the new practical nurse graduate for the specific needs and challenges associated with caring for a geriatric population.

Germantown Home, a proud member of the NewCourtland Network, is a 5-star rated facility that provides nearly 200 seniors with compassion, respect, and an unparalleled level of care. We blend a commitment to innovation with a dedicated and talented staff to create a warm, welcoming environment designed to feel just like home.

An acronym that stands for Provide Respect, Incentives, career Development, and Education, the P.R.I.D.E. program was initiated to create a partnership of caring that is ultimately focused on the seniors served in the Network. Many programs, including the Ladder of Opportunity, Neighbor-to-Neighbor, the 10k Club and YOUrHOME were created based on this organizational philosophy.

The Ladder of Opportunity, which enabled more than 500 Network employees to pursue their goal of joining the nursing profession, was predicated on the notion that well-trained employees would result in a sustained level of quality nursing care for seniors.

Click here to learn more about the Ladder of Opportunity.

Cliveden, like its neighboring facility Maplewood Manor, was a proud member of the NewCourtland Network from 1999 through its transition to Mid-Atlantic Healthcare in 2011.

Maplewood Manor, located in Germantown, was in desperate need of a transformation by the time it joined the Network in 1999. Over the next decade the nursing home flourished thanks to NewCourtland’s leadership, becoming a place where thousands of seniors proudly called “home”.

As the culture in long-term care changed during the 1990s, NewCourtland’s journey was influenced by the Eden Alterative, an organization that seeks to improve the well-being of Elders and their care partners by transforming the communities in which they live and work. Guided by Eden’s philosophy, NewCourtland created a new, Urban Eden more fitting for the seniors residing in Network nursing homes. This approach came to be known as the NewCourtland Way.

Cheltenham York Road, located in East Oak Lane, was the second largest facility in the Network, offering nearly 250 skilled beds. In 2011, the nursing home transitioned to Mid-Atlantic Healthcare.

Tucker House was a proud member of the NewCourtland Network for 15 years. Located just north of Center City, this 180 bed nursing home transitioned to Mid-Atlantic Healthcare in 2011.

When NewCourtland Senior Services took over seven nursing homes starting with Care Pavilion in 1996, they were institutions that had long suffered financially, clinically, operationally, and perceptually. Years later, with hard and caring work from Network employees, these facilities were widely recognized as nurturing, clinically excellent, and well run. NewCourtland transferred the ownership of six of these homes by 2011.

On July 1, 1995, Presbyterian Hospital became a part of the University of Pennsylvania Health System. This marked the end of one era and the beginning of another. On that same July date, the now former trustees of the hospital established
The Presbyterian Foundation for Philadelphia and committed it to “improve the quality of life for the elderly, impaired and disadvantaged in urban Philadelphia.”

In 2001, seniors from Cliveden, Germantown Home and Maplewood Manor embarked on a 32-week journey with students from the Settlement Music School Germantown Branch to create the nation’s first intergenerational choir blending voices aged eight to 92. Their first public performance was at the International House of Philadelphia on June 4, 2001 to a crowd of over 300 guests.

To view a video clip of the choir, click here.

“Joy and Wisdom” used the magic of the Talking Stick to help a group of Care Pavilion residents and students tell the inspiring stories of seniors Mrs. Carter, Mr. Butler, and Mr. Person. It’s also the story of creative kids, open-hearted seniors, a community of artists, educators, and caregivers all coming together to meet a common goal. And it’s told through an amazing seven-minute video production made by the seniors and students

To watch the video, click here.

The highest rung on the Ladder of Opportunity, the Kass Scholarship – named in honor of NewCourtland’s President & CEO, Gail Kass and endowed by the organization’s trustees – provides the financial means for a recipient to pursue a Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing Gerontology Nurse Practitioner program. Since its inception and through 2015, the program has graduated eight successful Kass Scholars.

NewCourtland Senior Services broke ground on a new, 60-unit, affordable senior housing complex at 1940 W. Allegheny Avenue in North Philadelphia on April 30, 2014. Located right next door to the LIFE Allegheny Center, the seven-story apartment complex embodies NewCourtland’s commitment
to combining affordable senior housing with supportive services. To view a video clip of NewCourtland’s President & CEO, Gail Kass,
at the groundbreaking ceremony, click here.

In December 2013, the NewCourtland LIFE Allegheny Center opened its doors, immediately serving more than 160 participants that transitioned from the LIFE-Wayne Center. This beautiful, state-of-the-art space serves as the anchor of the rapidly developing Allegheny Senior Community. In 2015, the first phase of the Apartments at Allegheny, which will include 60 units of much-needed affordable senior housing, will open right next door to the LIFE Center.

In Fall 2011, NewCourtland increased its offerings of affordable senior housing by opening the Apartments at Cliveden. This five-story, 60 unit complex located in Northwest Philadelphia provides affordable one-bedroom apartments for seniors 62 and older. To view an article from the grand opening of the apartments, click here. 

As the NewCourtland LIFE Program showed consistent growth in its first years of operation, the need for a second Center became apparent. In 2011, NewCourtland enthusiastically welcomed dozens of seniors to the new LIFE-Germantown Center. The LIFE-Germantown Center continues serving more than 100 seniors on a weekly basis by providing them with the care and services they need to live as independently as possible, for as long as possible.

The Ladder of Opportunity offers Network nurses customized plans and financial support to achieve their goals, such as scholarships and flexible scheduling to obtain license as a registered nurse or a bachelor of science degree in nursing.

The School of Practical Nursing trained dozens of students from 2010-2013. Built to provide a combination of rigorous academic study with hands-on experience, the School featured a state-of-the-art simulation laboratory dedicated to NewCourtland Board Chair Betsy Gemmill.

One year after Lehigh and Spring Garden senior centers joined NewCourtland, the three branches of Philadelphia Senior Center (PSC) became proud members of the Network. Annually, PSC serves approximately 4,000 seniors at its Main, Tioga, and Coffee Cup branches by providing fun activities and trips, nutritious meals, and a wide-range of counseling services.

NewCourtland Square, Philadelphia’s first affordable housing property dedicated solely to nursing home transitions, opened in 2009 on the Germantown Senior Community. This 26-unit complex enables seniors to transition from nursing homes back into the community with assistance from the NewCourtland LIFE Program.

To see Action News coverage of this event, click here.

In 2007, NewCourtland announced a $5 million grant to the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing to fund the NewCourtland Center for Transitions and Health. The first center of its kind in the United States, it is designed to serve as a hub for research, education, and policy development centering on the trajectory of transitions in health among chronically ill populations, specifically seniors.

NewCourtland continued to develop its home-and-community-based service lines with the opening of the NewCourtland LIFE Center on Wayne Avenue in May 2007. LIFE is a comprehensive program that is committed to keeping low-income seniors who are 55 and older as independent as possible, for as long as possible, in the place they call home by providing high quality healthcare with supportive services.  The LIFE-Wayne Center served hundreds of seniors through December 2013 when participants and staff transitioned to the brand new LIFE Allegheny Center.

In 2008, Lehigh Senior Center and Spring Garden Senior Center joined the NewCourtland Network. The centers serve as vital neighborhood resources for seniors age 55 and older, enabling them to enjoy activities and a meal while staying connected with their peers and the community at-large.

The annual Artist Fellowship—in partnership with the Center for Emerging Visual Artists (CFEVA)—is an integral part of Comfort & Joy™, NewCourtland’s award-winning intergenerational arts and culture program. This partnership brings together students from local schools and colleges to collaborate with seniors who are being served within the NewCourtland Network to create artworks that reflect their shared life stories and experiences.

This project was established in the fall of 2004 as part of NewCourtland Senior Services’ Comfort & Joy™ program and paired seniors with students to create seven stylistically different artistic representations of the common theme: “Philadelphia Stories: Through the Ages.”
The artwork was unveiled in March 2005 at Philadelphia’s City Hall to coincide with the Joint Conference of the American Society on Aging and the National Council on Aging.

In 2006, NewCourtland responded to the changing needs and desires of Philadelphia seniors by opening the Apartments and Cottages at Germantown Senior Community. The development of these affordable senior housing properties represented the first in a series of organizational shifts from skilled nursing care to home-and community-based services.

This 20,000 square foot education and seminar space demonstrated the Network’s dedication to nursing education and was a testament to the growth and success of the Ladder of Opportunity program. At its peak, the Education Center hosted hundreds of classes and educated dozens of students annually. At its grand opening ceremony, the auditorium was dedicated to former Board Chair, David Auten.

CNA Specialist is a position unique within the NewCourtland Network. Conceived for those making careers as Nursing Assistants, this step on the Ladder of Opportunity provides specialized training while offering graduates a pay increase and title change following completion of the program.

This award-winning collaboration between NewCourtland and the Boy Scouts of America created the nation’s first troop of Golden Eagle Scouts. Throughout the spring and summer of 2002, 11 seniors worked with local boy scout and cub scout troops to earn 6 mandatory badges — first aid, family life, communications, fingerprinting, and camping and cooking.

Click here to view a brief clip on the Golden Eagle Scouts.

In 2005, the Network’s YOUrHOME program joined with the City of Philadelphia’s Home Buy Now program to provide up to $6,000 toward closing costs for the purchase of a Network employee’s first home. YOUrHOME is an Employee P.R.I.D.E. initiative that provides $3,000 toward the closing costs of first-time homebuyers in the NewCourtland Network.”  To view an article on the program, click here. 

In response to the tragedies of September 11, 2001, seniors from Germantown Home created the Healing Quilt. Designed as an American flag, the quilt was presented to the City of Philadelphia Police Chief and Fire Marshall and included thoughts, prayers, and well-wishes which was a way for residents to show their thanks to Philadelphia’s everyday heroes.

Click here to view a brief clip on the Healing Quilt.

Acknowledging the sacredness, divinity and importance of all persons, the NewCourtland Network launched its Pastoral Care program to provide support for seniors by creating environments of spiritual fellowship for people of all faith traditions, beliefs and backgrounds. Prior to the sale of six of the Network’s seven nursing homes, the pastoral care team included hundreds of volunteers serving thousands of hours on an annual basis.