SUNNYBROOK - Fairfield, IA

The Fairfield Ledger — Page 6B — Tuesday, July 31, 2012
SUNNYBROOK
From p. 5B
JULIE JOHNSTON/Ledger photo
Colleen Warner, public relations and marketing specialist for SunnyBrook, and local painter Chris
Manning discuss plans for painting the reception area of the remodeled emergency area of the old hospital. SunnyBrook Home Care will occupy the space when it is finished.
JULIE JOHNSTON/Ledger photo
Jerry Stoltz, left and Maxine Kann, right, helped June Mellott celebrate her 92nd birthday last week. The
trio lives in the upstairs wing of Sunnybrook Living Care Centers, housed in the former Jefferson County
Hospital building. When the construction of the new Jefferson County Health Center south of Fairfield
was completed, Betty Howell and her partners bought the building on Highland Street and took over
management of the long-term care facility there.
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Jim Belilove to care for a loved one,
the couple had no choice but to tell
him their facility was full and it
could be a significant amount of
time before they had an opening.
Not long after, Belilove approached
the Howells about the concept of
building an assisted living community in Fairfield. The Howells took
Belilove on as a business partner
and plans were drawn up for an
assited living community.
“When you do something so
selfless for all the right reasons,
God will guide your path,” Warner
said.
While caring for residents in her
own home, Howell realized there
was a need to provide home health
care opportunities to the residents of
Jefferson County. In 2001, she
established SunnyBrook Home
Care. Its aim was to provide inhome assistance to people recovering after a medical event, such as a
broken hip, or to provide services
necessary to allow the elderly to
safely remain in their own homes as
long as possible.
With the home care service up
and running, the Howells and their
business partners opened
SunnyBrook of Fairfield in 2003.
At the same time, plans for assisted
living communities also were being
considered in other locations
throughout Iowa.
Simultaneously, the SunnyBrook
Home Care burgeoned, quickly
expanding into seven counties.
Howell found herself divided
between SunnyBrook Assisted
Living of Fairfield and Sunnybrook
Home Care.
“It was so fast growing and
became over-whelming,” Howell
said.
She made the decision to sell
SunnyBrook Home Care to Harley
and Mary Carter.
“Harley and Mary were perfect.
They’ve done a wonderful job of
maintaining the quality of the home
care services,” Betty said. “They’ve
done a wonderful job in the quality
of care and the quality of life
they’ve provided the residents they
care for.”
With SunnyBrook Home Care
being tended to by the Carters, the
Howells and Belilove oversaw the
continued growth of their companies. Ashford Park opened in Mount
Pleasant in 2005. In 2007, James
Elliott joined the Howells and
Belilove as an additional partner
and the group took steps toward further expansion. The Gardens was
added to SunnyBrook of Fairfield.
The Gardens was 20-apartment
addition. Twelve of the units are set
up especially for residents with
dementia.
In 2008, SunnyBrook opened four
more newly constructed assisted living communities in Burlington,
Carroll, Fort Madison and
Muscatine and also purchased Adel
Acres in Adel.
With the construction of the new
Jefferson County Health Center
south of Fairfield completed,
SunnyBrook bought the former
Jefferson County Hospital building
on Highland Street and took over
management of the long-term care
facility there. Now called
SunnyBrook Living Care Center,
the care center is certified for 86
beds. When they bought the facility,
they had 36 beds filled. They have
since added 14 beds and are presently preparing to add an additional
36 beds.
“We have been steadily working
on that endeavor,” Howell said.
This year, the opportunity arose to
buy SunnyBrook Home Care back
from the Carters. With business
partners, financial backers, and
many employees, Howell felt the
company was in a place to effectively coordinate home health care
services. SunnyBrook Home Care
serves nine counties.
Aug. 4 and 5, SunnyBrook Home
Care will move into its newly renovated office space at the former hospital. The former emergency room
wing has been remodeled to accommodate the offices. Their new
address is 400 Highland St., Suite
102.
The expansion comes at a time
when the median age of Americans
is increasing rapidly.
NEWS TIP?
As of July 1, 2011, there were
3,062,309 people age 60 and older
living in Iowa. Of them, 16,815
resided in Jefferson County. There
were 76,658 people age 85 or older
living in the state. Four hundred and
forty nine of those individuals resided in Jefferson County. Experts say
as Baby Boomers continue to age,
the need for home healthcare services, assisted living facilities and
long-term care options will only
increase.
Howell said she is proud to provide services in a state ranked fourth
in the nation for the quality of care
the elderly receive in the state.
“Iowa should be thankful for the
caregivers in our state,” Howell
said. “When people move where it’s
warm, they return to Iowa for their
care. The weather may be great in
Florida, but it’s Iowa that ranks for
its elder-care.”
Howell and Warner both believe
that the key to providing quality services rest largely in being able to
provide elderly people options based
on the level of care they need. By
offering home health care, assisted
living services and long-term care,
Sunnybrook is providing a continuum of care to its patients, Warner
explained.
“I see us as a bridge,” Warner
said. “We are a bridge to go back
home after a medical event. We are
a bridge to remaining independent
when nursing home care is not yet
needed, and we are a bridge from
assisted living to long-term care
when that becomes necessary.”
Howell said she considers the role
of bridge one of the most important
aspects of her job.
“Imagine if you were told tomorrow that you can’t go home,”
Howell said. “If we can make one
person feel good about that decision, that’s what it’s all about.
“To me, SunnyBrook means contentment. I am happy doing what I
know I am supposed to be doing,
and that is providing quality of care
and quality of life to people in
southeast Iowa,” said Howell.
“To be able to make a difference
– it means the world,” she said.
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