“I
am so pleased to announce that Cathy “Cat” McClanahan, Big
Stone Gap, has accepted the position of PACE Center Manager
for our planned Mountain Empire PACE Program and began work
with us on October 1st, said Mountain Empire
Older Citizens Executive Director Marilyn Pace Maxwell at a
recent gathering at MEOC. “With nearly 30 years
professional experience in the field of nursing and with her
own personal experiences as a family caregiver, she is the
ideal Center Manager for Mountain Empire PACE,” noted
Maxwell. She brings her many strengths and talents to
MEOC’s strong PACE Interdisciplinary Team that presently
includes Tony Lawson, the Director of Mountain Empire PACE
and Dr. Gary Williams, the PACE Medical Director and PACE
Physician,” added Maxwell.
PACE, an
acronym for Program of All-Inclusive Care of the Elderly, is
planned to be operational in our area in early 2008.
Mountain Empire PACE will be a program that will provide a
one-stop health care and social center for elderly residents
in Lee, Scott and Wise counties and the city of Norton.
Individuals enrolled in the Mountain Empire Older Citizens
PACE program will be able to live in their own homes while
receiving health care and therapy at home or in the new PACE
Center.
“Cat
McClanahan is a compassionate nurse, talented teacher, and
skilled administrator. She has worked in hospitals, home
health, and long term care settings,” Lawson said. “I am
confident that she will set up and run our new PACE Center
as a model for rural programs across the country.”
McClanahan brings a wealth of experience to the venture. She
obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from West
Virginia University in 1980 and has been a Registered Nurse
for 27 years. Most recently she served as Resident Care
Coordinator at The Place Assisted Living in Kingsport. The
44-apartment facility provided a home environment and
assistance with activities of daily living for its elderly
residents.
McClanahan, who has had past experience in intensive care,
home health and nursing education, also brings to the
position personal experience in the field of caregiving.
“My
toughest and most rewarding nursing experience was being a
caregiver to my aunt, Janette Jessee and my mother-in-law,
Ruth McClanahan in my home for four years,” she said. “I
took time off from professional nursing to keep my family
members at home as long as possible.”
This
experience gave McClanahan in-depth insight into the world
of caregiving.
“I have
developed great respect and empathy for caregivers and
realize what an awesome responsibility this can be,” she
said.
“I am
very honored to be part of such an outstanding team of
professionals who coordinate so much care for our
community,” she said. McClanahan noted that she felt very
welcomed by her new fellow employees at MEOC.
McClanahan says the introduction of PACE to our rural area
is just another way that MEOC is seeking innovative care for
the elderly in our area. She noted that MEOC offers programs
for individuals in the local community from birth to the
elderly.
“The new
PACE program is going to be another innovation to care for
our elderly population,” she said. “The PACE program is not
new to our nation, but it is new to the rural setting and
once again MEOC will be moving forward to make this care for
our community a reality.”
Participants in PACE receive services at the PACE Center, in
their homes, and elsewhere as needed. People come to the
Center for socialization, meals, recreation, physical,
speech, and occupational therapies, medical care,
counseling, personal care, and medicine. In their homes,
participants receive personal care, skilled nursing,
homemaker services, medicine, nutrition, and restorative
therapies as needed.
When
participants need specialty medical care, PACE makes
appointments, provides transportation and coordinates care
with the specialists. The PACE doctor admits and follows
patients in the hospital or nursing home as needed.
Mountain
Empire PACE will be one of the first rural PACE
organizations in the United States.
For
information about the PACE program, contact McClanahan or
Lawson at MEOC at 276-523-4202 or 800-252-6362.
