Walker Methodist 2018 Business Update

Walker Methodist’s vision is to be the best place to live and work and we regularly evaluate ourselves to ensure we are aligning to our mission, vision and our strategic roadmap. Our team is focused on best in class service, creating a culture of engaged team members, financial health and sustainable growth for the future. With this in mind, we wanted to update you, our partner, on exciting business objectives at Walker Methodist.

Expansion of Walker Methodist Footprint

Drawing on our expertise and successful record of accomplishments in developing and managing residential communities, Walker Methodist offers a full range of professional consulting and on-site direct services for the senior services industry. Our capabilities include community development, financial management, clinical expertise, culinary excellence, sales & marketing consultation, human resources, strategic planning and other areas of expertise related to developing and operating senior residential communities and programs.

Our partnership with Roers Companies is expanding our services to include managing and developing new communities in Minnetonka (in partnership with Mesaba Capital Partners), Burnsville, and Buffalo Minnesota and Onalaska Wisconsin.

Reinvesting in Existing Communities

In 2018 we are investing over $3,000,000 in two of our thriving communities that are recognized as best-in-class. Building updates will provide an even better quality of life for our residents.

The Westwood Ridge campus in West St. Paul is a vibrant community with two distinct structures. Our Independent and Assisted Living community will receive new windows, upgraded security (cameras & entry system, exterior lighting), a new state of the art nurse call system, culinary upgrades and a new parking lot. Our active residents will also enjoy an upgrade to a much-used walking path. Finally, the beauty salon will be remodeled, and common areas will receive new carpeting, paint, fixtures and furniture. 

CityView apartments on our Plaza campus in Anoka will also receive significant upgrades. New roofs will be installed and the first of its kind in Anoka – an outdoor walking track, will be added on the rooftop patio. This addition will wrap-up our state-of-the-art Fitness Center which was completed in 2017. Additionally, residents will receive new lounge spaces, a new river view greenhouse and a card/game room. Finally, each floor of the community will receive new carpet, paint, fixtures and furniture. These exciting upgrades will completely update a treasured home in downtown Anoka for active independent older adults looking for maintenance free living.

Novel Oral Health Care designed for Older Adults

Delta Dental Foundation of Minnesota awarded Walker Methodist a three-year grant of $506,000 to launch a pilot program to improve the oral health of older adults living in skilled nursing and assisted living communities. More than 120 diseases can be directly linked to poor oral health. Many adults over 65 no longer carry dental insurance unless they purchase a separate policy outside of Medicare. This grant will allow a dental hygienist to be added to our senior nursing team on the Minneapolis campus and provide oral health services for up to 1,500 older adults yearly. In addition, this replicable model will allow us to offer this service to residents in Anoka and West St. Paul in the coming years.

Collaboration with Lifesprk

Walker Methodist has established an exciting partnership with Lifesprk, the premier home care provider in the Twin Cities. “Life Care by Walker Methodist” fueled by Lifesprk, will support Walker Methodist’s mission of Life. And all the living that goes with it. Enhancing the lives of older adults through a culture of care, respect, and service. With Lifesprk, we will serve more older adults and positively enhance their lives. Three signature programs have been developed through this collaboration: Life Care Transitions, The Navigation Center, and Integrated Therapy Continuum.

Two programs have been implemented since the fall of 2017: Life Care Transitions and the Navigation Center. Life Care Transitions supports patients in our short term, transitional care at the Health Center in Minneapolis. A dedicated Nurse Manager works with the patient and care team to assist with discharge planning, a safe return home, and stays with them for 60 days post-discharge for medication reconciliation, verification of services at home, coordination of additional services if needed, primary care appointment follow-up, and health education and support. The goal of this service is compassionate patient support, to avoid hospital readmissions, and emergency room visit prevention.

The Navigation Center is a tremendous resource for team members in all of our communities that allows us to provide a referral source to all of our customers for a variety of service offerings from dog walking to gutter cleaning to at-home fall prevention consultation.

The 3rd signature program of the Life Care by Walker Methodist collaboration is Integrated Therapy Continuum which will launch later in 2018.

Positioning the Portfolio for the Future

Each year leadership analyzes our portfolio for competitive position and rate of growth. We determined that due to market forces, it was time to make the difficult decision of divesting Walker Methodist Hazel Ridge, senior living apartments in Maplewood, and phasing out the Senior Club Adult Day Program in Minneapolis. Demand for these living and service options has been declining. We are reinvesting the sale proceeds into our other communities and expanding in other areas.

Recent Recognition

Walker Methodist has received the inaugural Award of Merit for Performance Excellence in Aging Services from LeadingAge Minnesota. The award recognizes a demonstrated commitment to continuous improvement and advancing performance excellence. Performance Excellence in Aging Services was created by LeadingAge Minnesota in 2017 to help aging services providers innovate and improve the quality services and supports they provide to older adults. The continuous learning and development program is centered on the core values and criteria of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, which focuses on seven areas of achievement and improvement demonstrated by high performing organizations – leadership, strategy, customers, measurement, workforce, operations and results. We are confident that we have effective systems in place that will enable us to better serve older adults, empower staff teams, and achieve and sustain quality efforts more efficiently and effectively.

Five of or our communities have received the Pinnacle Quality Insight’s 2018 Customer Experience AwardTM. These communities display a dedication to providing Best in Class senior healthcare services and are lauded as the top 15% of the nation. Our 2018 winners:
• Place
• Health Center
• Plaza
• Highview Hills
• Care Suites