It’s been a few months now since we first launched our #BrightenUpLTC campaign, hoping to shine a light on the positive occurrences that are happening in nursing homes across the country.
We’ve received dozens of responses since that initial November call and have highlighted a handful already in our Brighter Side feature.
I just wanted to take a few minutes to highlight a few of the lovely notes that we’ve received in recent weeks.
Nacho average resident
Ignacio Enloe/Coutesy
Jesse Naputi, the activities director for Palomar Heights Post-Acute Rehab, recently reached out, wanting to give a shoutout to one of his favorite residents.
Ignacio “Nacho” Enloe “embodies the definition of the word ‘brighten’” at the 1260 E. Ohio Ave., Escondido, CA, 92027 facility. The Vietnam veteran serves as president of Palomar Heights’ Resident Council and always has a giant smile on his face, and his kindness is infectious among staffers at the facility, Naputi says.Downtwon
Enloe loves art and his holiday-themed paintings often adorn the walls throughout the building.
“Nacho really is an amazing human being, and anyone who has the great pleasure of knowing him will be a better person for doing so. We are all inspired to shine brighter, every day,” Naputi wrote.
Blizzard won’t stop one all-star employee
Alison Haack/Courtesy
Wisconsin was hit hard with snow last week, making it difficult for workers to get to the Lakeview Health Center in West Salem, WI.
But that didn’t stop star nursing employee Alison Haack, a resident care assistant, from coming into work early, using her cross country skis to trek into the office.
“We weren’t able to capture a picture of her in the snow but we were able to get a snapshot when she got inside,” wrote Rebecca Rieber, support systems manager for the facility, sharing this snapshot. “Showing appreciation to employees is often difficult but we thought sharing our story with McKnight’s might be a way to do that. Thank you, Alison!”
Spreading joy in New Hampshire
The Northeast Credit Union, in New Hampshire, has developed the Love Your Community Project as a way to encourage people to practice kindness in everyday life. The North East Credit Union, based in Portsmouth, NH, did so as part of “Random Acts of Kindness” week, with its entire organization working to spread such random cheer to members of the community.
Chelsea Byrnes, a manager of life enrichment at St. Ann, shared several lovely pictures from the visit with McKnight’s, including this one.
— Marty Stempniak, McKnight’s Long-Term Health Care News
Downtown Escondido’s Palomar Hospital site slated for residential development
An apartment and condominium project is planned by Integral Communities on the site of the Palomar Medical Center on East Valley Parkway./Integral Communications
A former hospital campus on the edge of downtown Escondido may be transformed into a condominium and apartment project that proponents hope would help invigorate the city’s urban core.
Integral Communities tentatively plans to build a 450-unit apartment and condominium project on the 14-acre site of the former Palomar Health hospital campus at 555 E. Valley Parkway.
“Overall, it’s going to bring hundreds of new people living just a few steps from Grand Avenue, which is great for the businesses down there and everybody’s really excited to have that urban living in downtown Escondido,” said Michelle Geller, city economic development manager.
Lined with retail shops, restaurants and a variety of small businesses, Grand Avenue is the main street through downtown Escondido.
City wants project to go big or go home
Pending City Council approval, the project — dubbed Palomar Heights — would be about half rental apartments and half for-sale condominiums, said Ninia Hammond, project manager for Integral Communities.
Most of the hospital functions were moved in 2012 when Palomar Health District opened the $956 million Palomar Medical Center to the west of downtown Escondido at 2185 Citracado Parkway.
“There’s still an operating cafeteria, there’s still some services there,” Hammond said.
Those services are expected to be relocated by the end of the year, she said, and plans call for the old hospital buildings to be razed to make way for the new project.
Integral agreed in 2018 to buy the property for $18 million, with the property turned over to Integral in early 2019.
Ideally, construction would start in early 2020 and take three to four years to complete, “depending on market conditions,” Hammond said.
The hospital site covers 13 acres on the east side of East Valley Parkway and one acre on the west side, Hammond said.
Integral’s work
Headquartered in Newport Beach, Integral Communities has San Diego County offices in Encinitas.
The company’s projects include the 370-apartment Palomar Station in San Marcos, the 294-apartment Nineteen01 in Santa Ana, the 300-apartment The Mark in Santa Ana, and the master-planned communities of Gateway Station in Newark, Greenbriar in Sacramento and Tracy Hills near the city of Tracy.
On Farm Composting Course – Escondido
In this workshop, we’ll cover the following topics:
-Compost basics, e.g. recipe considerations, feedstocks, and bulk density
-Compost management, e.g. site considerations, BMPS, odor, dust, rodent/vector control
-Regulatory considerations
-Composting benefits
-Global impacts of composting
Space is limited. There is a $25 fee to participate in this course. Cancellations made within one week prior to starting class (March 29th) will receive a refund less $5 handling fee. There will be no refunds or cancellations after that date.
*If the fee presents a financial hardship, please contact Diane Hazard at diane@solanacenter.org to apply for a scholarship.
Saturday, April 6, 1:30pm-5:00pm
Saturday, April 13, 9:30am-1:00pm
Saturday, April 27, 9:30am-1:00pm
If you’re not already familiar with composting, check out one of Solana Center’s free composting workshops.
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