Friday, January 30, 2009

GEDCO's Green House Project

by Ted L. Gross, Director of Senior Services, Govans Ecumenical Development Corporation (GEDCO)


Construction of one of GEDCO's senior apartments in 2003.

GEDCO (Govans Ecumenical Development Corporation) is in the midst of a $14 million capital campaign to build The GREEN HOUSE® Residences at Stadium Place. We’re growing a home and supporting elders to live life to its fullest!

GEDCO is seeking legislative and financial support for the GREEN HOUSE® Residences at Stadium Place. The Green House® Residences will provide a full range of personal care and clinical services for 49 frail elders from throughout Central Maryland in an innovative model of residential long-term care, with sixty percent (60%) of the beds reserved for Medicaid-eligible individuals. This model is being replicated across the country with the support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. GEDCO has been accepted to develop the first of its kind in Maryland.

The Green House Project is a total rethinking of the philosophy of care, architecture, and organizational structure normally associated with a nursing home. Elders are encouraged to live as independently as possible, and they set their own daily routines. Each Green House will contact twelve private bedrooms with private bathrooms, arranged around a large common area called “the hearth,” which includes a kitchen, living room, and dining room. Meals, prepared with fresh ingredients in each Green House kitchen, will be served at a dining table as in a typical home, encouraging socializing, creativity, and a sense of family.

GEDCO is working with elected officials from Baltimore City and throughout the State of Maryland to make this project a reality. The Governor has included a $4.5 million investment in the project in his preliminary Capital Budget for FY2010. We also need a matching investment from Baltimore City. Please contact your local and state representatives to express your support for this innovative project for older adults. For more information, or to donate to the fundraising campaign, please visit the GEDCO web site (http://www.gedco.org/) or contact Ann Murray, Director of Development, at 410-433-2442 x15.

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