James September-October 2024 web - Flipbook - Page 40
Presbyterian minister
in deep South Georgia,
my grandfather took
seriously the biblical
charge to care for widows and
orphans. One day in the 1940s, a
childless widow in his congregation asked him what would become
of her when she reached the age
where she could no longer take
care of herself.
In a time before the widespread
use of skilled nursing homes and
before America’s seniors had
access to Medicaid and Medicare
coverage, my grandfather knew her
concerns were well founded.
So, it was in 1949 when he and
a Board of Trustees launched the
Presbyterian Homes of Georgia
with a campus in rural Quitman.
One of the earliest buildings in
Brooks County with electricity, it
started with 10 resident rooms,
and from its launch until the 1970s
the homes were funded entirely by
church member donations.
Today, as the president and
CEO of the Presbyterian Homes of
Georgia, I’m proud to carry on the
legacy created by my grandfather
and countless others who
contributed to the mission. We’ve
grown significantly through the
years. Our three Life Plan Communities, with facilities in Cobb and
Oconee counties in addition to the
original location, provide 335 total
skilled nursing beds with personal
care, assisted living, memory care
and independent living accommodations, and three other locations
offer affordable independent living
accommodations for seniors. In
total over 1,300 residents wake up
each day in one of our locations.
Our residents get something
special at our homes. They remain
close to their own hometowns and
families while enjoying life in a
faith-based community. Our residents have long benefited from the
stability of our workforce— before
COVID our annual retention rate
topped 85 percent— because we
took good care of staff and paid
above industry standards.
Like our fellow skilled nursing
facilities across the nation, the
pandemic rocked our world. Our
retention levels dropped to 50 percent and have only recently risen
to 65 percent. Though the worst of
the crisis is behind us, no one in the
industry is back to pre-COVID staffing levels, and healthcare providers
are competing for nurses at a time
when demand far outpaces supply.
This shortage exists even
though we have raised pay by 85
percent since 2019, and still many
staff who are offered jobs never
return our calls. Georgia has some
of the lowest employed RN to
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JAMES
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