Age in Place with PACE: Bluegrass PACE Care Celebrates One Year Serving the Elderly in Central Kentucky
Bluegrass PACE Care, or Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly, celebrates one year of assisting Kentuckians who may otherwise need nursing home care to live safely at home. Bluegrass Care Navigators was the first PACE program to enroll participants in Kentucky. Since its opening, PACE has served 37 participants in our service area of Fayette, Jessamine, Franklin, Woodford and Anderson counties.
Bluegrass PACE Care offers an all-inclusive plan that provides the entire continuum of medical care, social care, and long-term services and support needed by elderly adults both in their homes and at the PACE Center. PACE is available to Medicare or Medicaid recipients aged 55 or older who qualify for a nursing home level of care, who live in the service area of the PACE organization, and who can continue to live independently with the help of PACE services.
“Being the first comes with a lot of responsibility, and I am proud of our interdisciplinary team who has led the way for Kentucky in providing this type of innovative and quality care,” Liz Fowler, president and CEO of BCN, said. “We are grateful to our participants and their caregivers who have trusted us to provide expert, connected care in a new way.”
Upon enrollment in PACE, participants and their caregivers meet with an interdisciplinary healthcare team that includes doctors, nurses, therapists, social workers, dietitians, personal care aides, transportation drivers and others. An individualized care plan is developed to respond to all the participant’s needs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.
Many services take place at the PACE Center, with a convenient location in Lexington. Transportation is provided by the PACE program to and from the centers, as well as to and from any appointments arranged by the PACE team. At the PACE center, participants receive primary care, therapy, meals, recreation, socialization and personal care. Many PACE participants have Medicaid or both Medicaid and Medicare. For those who are eligible, contact Bluegrass PACE Care for more information on insurance coverage for this unique program.
As the PACE program continues to grow, Bluegrass Care Navigators (BCN) is delighted to welcome back Chad Helton as the new Executive Director of Bluegrass PACE Care. Helton’s many years as a long-term care administrator and established relationships in the community will serve our team well. During his previous time at BCN, Helton served as the Executive Director Post Acute Care Facilities Services for four years and was an integral part of the clinical operations team that prepared PACE for a successful State Readiness Review in July 2022. He brings invaluable knowledge and expertise of long-term care settings, kitchen operations and in-center patient care.
“Sometimes you have to leave home to know it’s where you want to be, and I’m delighted to once again be part of Team BCN,” Helton said. “I’m proud to have contributed to the start and initial success of the PACE program and look forward to reconnecting with teammates as we continue to set the bar for innovative, quality healthcare in Kentucky.”
For more information, call 855.492.0812 or visit www.bgcarenav.org/PACE.
