Sentara Life will invest $1.8 million to build out new space for senior PACE program

Sentara Life Care plans to relocate its PACE program for seniors from the current site on Newtown Road in Virginia Beach to larger quarters at the JANAF Shopping Yard in Norfolk.  The Norfolk-based health care system said Monday that it would invest $1.8 million to build out and equip the new location with an anticipated move-in date around Oct. 1.

PACE is an acronym for the federally supported Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly. Sentara opened the first PACE site in Virginia at the Newtown Road location in 1996.

“This is an opportunity to modernize our facilities and add new participants,” Suzanne Coyner, director of PACE for Sentara Life Care said in a statement. “The central location at JANAF offers families from across the region easier access for their seniors.”

The current 10,000-square-foot site is limited to 150 participants due to its size. The new 14,000-square-foot site will be able to accommodate up to 200 participants, not all of whom attend every day. Average daily attendance could be about 100.

Most PACE participants qualify for nursing home care and live at home with their families, but need support during the day when caregivers are at work. According to Sentara Life Care, PACE provides a cost-effective alternative to nursing homes, including transportation to and from the site, therapeutic recreation, meals and socialization. PACE also manages medical care, including an on-site clinic and therapy space.  Sentara PACE is qualified to accept participants under Medicare and Medicaid.

The programs accept a monthly stipend for each participant and provide services within that budget. Sentara operates two PACE sites in Hampton Roads. The second is at Churchland Shopping Center in Portsmouth and is open to residents of Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Suffolk, Norfolk and Virginia Beach.