A generous donation from the Schmidt Family Foundation aids the nonprofit organization in providing comprehensive Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) services to seniors at its new PACE Center in Elizabethtown.
(LOUISVILLE, KY) — Care Guide Partners, an affiliate of Hosparus Health, is pleased to announce a community open house at its new PACE Center on March 27, from 11:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., located at 109 Buffalo Creek Drive in Elizabethtown. Thanks to a generous donation from the Schmidt Family Foundation, the state-of-the-art William B. and Janet B. Schmidt PACE Center will significantly enhance accessibility to comprehensive healthcare services for seniors in and around the region.
Care Guide Partners has been working with state and federal agencies to introduce the national Medicare and Medicaid-funded Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) to Hardin and surrounding counties, with participant enrollment now open. Established in 1971, the PACE model offers comprehensive care for people 55 or older who wish to maintain a healthy and independent lifestyle from the comfort of their homes. A 2022 feasibility study conducted in Kentucky by the Palmetto PACE Advisory Group suggests that approximately 2,086 households in the Elizabethtown region could benefit from PACE services.[1]
PACE serves as a “one-stop shop” for complete managed healthcare and service delivery. An interdisciplinary team of specialists collaborates with participants and their families to formulate a personalized plan of care, addressing each individual’s complete medical, social, physical, and functional needs. All care is monitored and coordinated by the team, with roundtrip transportation included for all appointments managed by PACE to ensure accessibility for participants and their families. Many PACE services are conveniently provided at the PACE Center, which serves as a hub for the program. Participants visit the Center to receive primary medical care, adult day programming, therapy, behavioral health, specialty services, meals, nutritional counseling, social activities, and more.
In early 2023, Care Guide Partners acquired the property in Elizabethtown and initiated renovations for its new PACE Center. The facility, initially constructed in 2006 as the new home of the Schmidt Museum of Coca-Cola Memorabilia, showcased the personal collection of local Coke bottling plant owners William (Bill) and Janet (Jan) Schmidt, with Bill as its driving force until his passing in 2007. In 2011, museum president Larry Schmidt decided to close the museum. The Schmidt Family Foundation was established in 2013 and pledged to utilize proceeds from auctioning the 80,000-item collection to support local and national charities chosen by a board of directors.
Expressing the family’s enthusiasm upon learning about Care Guide Partners’ plans for the former museum, Larry Schmidt stated, “When my family and I toured the building and learned about PACE’s mission to provide access and assistance to seniors with significant health challenges, we knew we wanted to be a part of it. Our family is thrilled to be able to make this contribution to support the PACE Center and help bring this vital resource to Elizabethtown.”
Care Guide Partners PACE requires $11 million in startup costs, with $3 million to come from fundraising and donor support. The Schmidt Family Foundation’s naming opportunity contribution marks a significant milestone in helping reach this fundraising goal. “We are immensely grateful to the Schmidt Family Foundation for their generous support of Care Guide Partners PACE,” said Tawanda Owsley, SVP/Chief Development and Marketing Officer at Care Guide Partners and Hosparus Health. “Thanks to their contribution, our organization can expand our services through the William B. and Janet B. Schmidt PACE Center to enhance the quality of life for even more members of the community in need of holistic and compassionate care.”
Larry Schmidt emphasized the significance of seeing the facility his father built repurposed to assist others, sharing, “The PACE Center feels like the perfect opportunity to honor my parents’ commitment to giving back to the community our family knows and loves.”
“Our organization continues to raise endowment funds to support our program’s long-term sustainability and ensure that quality care is accessible to seniors and their family caregivers for years to come,” stated Owsley. “We are excited to start enrolling participants as we begin operations and officially open the doors to the William B. and Janet B. Schmidt PACE Center. We look forward to sharing more about PACE as we welcome the community to tour this beautiful new facility on March 27, from 11:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.”
To contribute to Care Guide Partners PACE, call 800-264-0521 or visit hosparushealth.org/donate. To view a flyer for the Open House, click here.
For more information about PACE, visit:
- Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services: Quick Facts About PACE
- National PACE Association: Frequently Asked Questions
Questions?
Email Executive Director Judith Parsons at jparsons@careguidepartners.org for inquiries about Care Guide Partners PACE, or visit hosparushealth.org/pace.
Enrollment and Referral Information
Care Guide Partners PACE has completed the review process through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and has been approved to begin operations and enroll participants. Email PACEInfo@careguidepartners.org or call (270) 600-2587 for more information about PACE enrollment.
Media Contact:
Dyan Duncan
Executive Director of Marketing & Communications
502.814.5439
dduncan@hosparus.org
About Care Guide Partners
Care Guide Partners is an affiliate of Hosparus Health, one of the nation’s largest and most respected community-based, nonprofit care providers. Since 1978, the mission-driven organization has championed equitable healthcare access by delivering specialized programs and holistic services across Kentucky and Indiana. Together, with more than 600 employees and over 500 volunteers, these entities seek to improve the quality of life by providing support across the continuum, including medical care, senior services, symptom and medication management, grief counseling, hospice care, and palliative medicine. For more information about Care Guide Partners and other programming offered by Hosparus Health, please call 800-264-0521 or visit www.HosparusHealth.org.
[1] Palmetto PACE Advisory Group. (2022). “Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) Feasibility Study: Prepared for Pallitus Health Partners.”
