Years of advocacy and collaboration bring a new approach to healthcare and independent living to Georgia.
By Kathleen Deloach Benton, DrPH, MA
President and CEO, Georgia Care Innovators
On November 10, we gathered at our Eisenhower campus in Savannah to celebrate a milestone that has been years in the making: the ribbon cutting for The Kole Center for PACE Georgia, home to the state’s first Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE).
It was a wonderful day, filled with gratitude, excitement, and the satisfaction of seeing a long-held vision become reality. Yet, as meaningful as the ribbon cutting was, what excites me most isn’t the opening of a new facility. It’s what this program will make possible for older adults and their families.
For too many older Georgians, aging brings challenges that extend well beyond individual medical conditions. Managing appointments, medications, transportation, therapies, and daily activities can become overwhelming. Families often find themselves trying to coordinate services across a fragmented healthcare system, sometimes while wondering whether their loved one can safely remain at home.
PACE offers a different approach.
Designed for adults age 55 and older who meet eligibility requirements for nursing-home-level care, PACE brings medical care and supportive services together through one coordinated program. Participants can receive primary care, therapies, medications, transportation, adult day services, and opportunities for social engagement, all with the goal of helping them remain safely in their homes and communities for as long as possible.
At The Kole Center, that means participants can come in for a primary care appointment, receive physical therapy or medical infusions, participate in social activities, and even get a haircut. Behind those services is an interdisciplinary team working together to develop and coordinate a comprehensive care plan for each participant.
It’s an approach built around the needs of the whole person, not simply the treatment of individual medical conditions.
A vision years in the making
When I first learned about PACE, I was struck by how closely its philosophy aligned with the approach to care that has guided Hospice Savannah for more than 45 years. Both emphasize interdisciplinary teamwork, compassionate support, and a commitment to meeting people where they are.
I visited PACE programs in other states and saw firsthand what coordinated, person-centered care could mean for older adults and their families. I came away convinced that Georgians deserved access to this same model.
Turning that conviction into reality required years of research, collaboration, and advocacy. Georgia needed a legislative framework that would allow PACE programs to operate in our state. Working alongside dedicated partners and state leaders, we pursued that change because we believed there was a better way to support older adults with complex healthcare needs.
Georgia is now the 34th state to offer PACE, and I couldn’t be more excited that the first program is opening here in Savannah.
This journey has truly been a labor of love. I am deeply grateful to the many people who shared this vision and helped make it possible. No single person or organization could have accomplished this alone.
What this milestone means for our community
At Georgia Care Innovators, we define innovation as identifying an unmet need in our community and taking meaningful steps to address it. The opening of The Kole Center is a powerful example of that philosophy in action.
We didn’t pursue PACE simply to expand our services. We pursued it because we recognized a need for a more coordinated, compassionate approach to caring for older adults, particularly those whose medical and supportive needs make independent living more challenging.
And while we celebrated the opening of a beautiful new center on November 10, the real measure of our success will be found in the lives of the people we serve: older adults who can continue living in familiar surroundings, families who feel supported rather than overwhelmed, and individuals who experience care that recognizes their dignity, independence, and humanity.
With The Kole Center now open and enrollment underway, this vision is becoming a reality for older adults and families in our community.
My hope is that this is just the beginning. I want Georgia to be a wonderful place to grow older, where people have access to the care and support they need to live well throughout their lives.
The ribbon has been cut and a new chapter in caring for older Georgians has begun.
