Mayor Spano and city/state officials cut ribbon on Westchester Center; Yonkers IDA provided financial incentives

One of Westchester County's first and only full-service and affordable Assisted Living Program providers opened its doors and officially welcomed its first residents on February 8th at 10 a.m. Mayor Mike Spano, along with state and local leaders, marked the establishment of this much-needed facility for seniors in Westchester County who cannot live at home any longer and desire a full-service Assisted Living facility, but do not need the more intensive care of a nursing home. Located at 78 Stratton St. South, the Westchester Center is one of the first facilities in Westchester County to offer the fast-growing Medicaid funded Assisted Living model of care to seniors, regardless of their income level. As a participant in the NYS licensed Assisted Living Program (ALP), the Westchester Center will be able to provide ALP services for Medicaid benefit recipients. All residents, regardless of source of income, will have luxury apartments, combined with supportive services such as housekeeping and restaurant style dining. Amenities include an in-house movie theater, concierge services, beauty salon, billiard room and scheduled daily entertainment. Further, as a licensed ALP, health-related services such as medication assistance and personal care management will be available to residents, all designed to help seniors maintain independent lives but with the choice and privacy not found in a typical nursing home setting. Previously, this "entry-level" but upscale, Medicaid-eligible long term care model was unavailable in Westchester County, where the only option for many individuals seeking some assistance in their daily lives was the more intensive and often unnecessary care offered in a nursing home. "This is the best possible environment for an individual who needs some level of supportive services in order to remain independent but does not require the level of care provided in a traditional nursing home," said Charles Gros, president and CEO of the Westchester Center. "Westchester's seniors have been asking for something like this for many years, and I am proud that the Westchester Center for Independent and Assisted Living will now able to provide it to all seniors regardless of their income, thereby filling a niche for this growing segment of the population." Gros said the Westchester Center for Independent and Assisted Living will allow Westchester seniors to remain close to their former homes, friends, family, and community services, all in a picturesque setting on a 12 acre hilltop. "The Westchester Center is beautiful in design; its tranquil, wooded setting is unique for southern Westchester, and now we have the further distinction of being the only provider in Westchester County to offer our all our residents, Medicaid-eligible assisted living," said Michael Hoch, the Center's executive director. Yonkers mayor Mike Spano said, "I congratulate the Westchester Center for Independent and Assisted Living on becoming Westchester County's first fully-licensed, Medicaid-eligible, Assisted Living Program. The Assisted Living philosophy is all about independent living combined with basic health care, with the goal being the happiness and dignity of senior citizens who need some level of assistance in their daily lives, but do not need expensive, skilled nursing care. I am glad we will now be able to offer this option to the residents of Yonkers and Westchester County."