$1.5 Million Received for Age-Friendly Renovations
In March, U.S. Senator Susan Collins announced she had secured $1.5 million for age-friendly renovations at St. Joseph Hospital in the Fiscal Year 2022 Health and Human Services Appropriations bill.
“St. Joseph Hospital provides world-class health care services to thousands of people each year, including a high percentage of older Mainers,” said Senator Collins. “This funding will help make needed, age-friendly renovations to the hospital’s 60-year-old facilities. It will improve their ability to care for our aging population and enhance the overall inpatient experience.”
The money from the appropriations bill will help us start phase one of renovations on the fourth floor of the hospital, which houses the inpatient surgical and orthopedic units. The updates will increase patient safety, provide a comfortable environment for care, improve patient satisfaction and reduce health care costs for the 1,000 inpatients who utilize these services each year. A complete, age-friendly renovation of the floor is estimated at $7.5 million. The $1.5 million federal award will allow St. Joe’s to initiate this process.
“As a community health care system that cares for an aging population, we are grateful for the support from Senator Susan Collins and other members of the congressional delegation. Thanks to their support, St. Joseph Healthcare will receive funding to become an Age-Friendly Health System,” says Mary Prybylo, president of St. Joseph Healthcare. “Operating under this model of care means value is optimized for all — patients, families, caregivers, health care providers and the organization. It demonstrates a continued commitment to quality care for our community — meeting them where they are in their health journey. Having support at a federal level for such important initiatives allows us to enhance the care and experience our patients receive and deserve. We are excited to embark upon these projects to transform our organization to better meet the needs of our community.”