Springhill Celebrates 20 Years of Serving the Erie Senior Community

ERIE, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--On Friday, September 24, Springhill retirement community will be celebrating its 20^th anniversary, and its distinction as the only nationally accredited continuing care retirement community (CCRC) in northwestern Pennsylvania, with a special ceremony at 11:00 a.m. This event will include a proclamation presented to Springhill by Erie County Executive Barry Grossman, and presentations from Asbury Communities CEO Edwin Thomas, III, Springhill Board Chair Rochelle Krowinski, and Springhill Executive Director Jim Schneider. The ceremony will take place on the Springhill campus located at 2323 Edinboro Road.

“With the woods surrounding Springhill and the quiet, you’d never know that a big mall that has everything I could need is only half a mile away. It’s the best of all possible worlds.”

As Springhill’s original executive director in 1990, Mr. Schneider was there on opening day and continues to oversee the long-term vision at Springhill. “We’ve seen significant changes over the last 20 years,” recalls Mr. Schneider. “We have active, wellness-focused residents moving in, and our campus and physical structure have expanded and changed. Our residents continue to have many more choices in activities, programming, dining, living and healthcare and we see that trend continuing. Research shows that seniors who live in CCRCs live longer and have a better quality of life because we take the stress points away, such as yard and housing maintenance, getting to the doctor, and managing their healthcare.”

Construction at Springhill began in 1989 by the Hamot Health Foundation after they were approached by a group of local seniors who urged them to fill a void in Erie for a retirement community. The decision to move forward on this was controversial at the time because of both the poor economy, and the relatively new CCRC concept – CCRCS provide a full continuum of care primarily focused on residential living and lifestyle options, as well as access to assisted living and skilled nursing care. In addition, retirement communities were not the focus for Hamot, which managed a regional hospital system. At the time it began, Springhill was the second largest construction project in Erie County since World War II, behind the Millcreek Mall.

The first expansion was the ForestView Healthcare Center, which opened in 1993 as a 60-bed skilled nursing facility, and later grew to include an additional 26 beds. In 2001, a substantial bequest from a resident led to the expansion of Springhill’s residential living complex to include a new community room for entertainment, a café and fitness center. That same year, Springhill was acquired by Asbury Communities, Inc., which took over management of the community.

In 2004, Garden Homes were added with a final section completed in 2006. Springhill also introduced ChoicePlus, a licensed home care program for residents, in 2006, and earlier this summer officially opened the doors for The Woodlands memory support neighborhood for residents with Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia challenges. Springhill also launched a major landscaping and beautification effort to enhance the natural resources of its campus, which was initiated by one of its own residents.

Jean Dunn, 88, is a 15-year resident of Springhill. A native of Erie, she moved to the community from Westchester County, New York, to be closer to family after her husband passed away. She said after visiting numerous communities, she chose Springhill because of the beautiful open space around it and its natural beauty. “With the woods surrounding Springhill and the quiet, you’d never know that a big mall that has everything I could need is only half a mile away. It’s the best of all possible worlds.”

Mrs. Dunn brought beautification ideas to the Springhill management which led to the creation of a park and shade trees being added, walking paths and pond enhancements, including a gazebo.

Mrs. Dunn says that she’s seen an increase in program and activity options over her 15 years at Springhill. “If we have an idea for a program, then Springhill wants to hear about it. I started a program called ‘Great Decisions’ which focuses on foreign policy in different countries. Each month is a different topic and we review material from the Foreign Policy Association and discuss the challenges going on in the world. This kind of discussion keeps me sharp. Our first topic was on the world’s water shortage.”

Mrs. Dunn also says she’s seen more physical fitness programming. She says that’s important because it gets people away from their TVs and keeps them moving. “I’ve really enjoyed the wonderful and helpful staff and the friendly residents. I never want to leave Springhill!”

Springhill is a CARF-CCAC-accredited continuing care retirement community that is part of Asbury Communities, Inc., which provides management and support services for a system of continuing care retirement communities for older adults. Asbury Communities is ranked by the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) and Ziegler Capital Markets Group’s AZ 100 as the 12th largest not-for-profit multi-site senior living organization in the country.