Menno Haven to open unique rehab center
CHAMERSBURG – Menno Haven, one of the region’s largest retirement communities, is expanding its rehabilitation services in a big way.
Officials will cut the ribbon to a $21 million Menno Haven Rehabilitation Center, 2055 Scotland Ave., at 1:30 p.m. Sunday. An open house and tours follow until 4 p.m.
Other local centers, formerly known as nursing homes, started years ago emphasizing rehabilitation and short-term stays. The former county nursing home renamed itself 20 years ago as the Falling Spring Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. The Shook Home in Chambersburg completed a rehabilitation addition more than a year ago, about the same time Menno Haven started building its rehab center.
CEO Hugh Davis said the Menno Haven center is “unlike any other in the region.” The center has 44 private rooms, each with a private bathroom. There’s a state-of-the-art therapeutic gym overlooking a courtyard with paths. The center also has a salon, spa and café.
In contrast, the Shook Home Rehabilitation & Wellness Center added six private rehab rooms, a therapy gym and pool to the downtown retirement center.
Menno Haven, famous as a non-profit continuing care community, has embarked on Project GENESIS, a $120 million expansion. In the next four years the campus also will see a residential life center, memory care "small houses" and more independent living cottages. The 1964 nursing home will be replaced.
Franklin County is growing older more quickly than Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania ranks No. 5 for the percentage of residents over the age of 65.
Already, the health care industry employs more people in Franklin County than manufacturing.
Current medical trends encourage treating the elderly and getting them back home.
Physical rehabilitation is a $35 billion-dollar U.S. industry in 2018. More than 60,000 providers employ 400,000 employees. Analysts forecast that the industry – and the jobs it offers -- will grow by more than 3 percent a year in the immediate future. Most of the growth will be in the geriatrics segment as active Boomers age.
Menno Haven rehab center will open in January – on time and on budget, according to Davis – after getting Medicare and WELL Building Certification.
“From the moment you enter the front door you will see this place is different,” Davis said. “WELL design incorporates research-based elements intended to promote the physical, emotional, and spiritual health of guests.”
The building has whole-building water filters, abundant natural light and a light system designed to match circadian rhythms. Ultraviolet lamps in the HVAC cooling coils ensure the best air quality.
“To our knowledge, this is one of the first senior living projects built to WELL standards in the nation,” Davis said.
Medicare patients will qualify for treatment at the center, according to Menno Haven spokeswoman Leslie Ray.
“This building will allow us to better serve individuals who need short-term care,” Davis said. “Whether that be someone recovering from a surgery, an illness, or an accident, they will recover here and then return home.”
Menno Haven has a care coordinator and works with Select Medical, a Mechanicsburg-based health care company, for all therapists, according to Ray. Summit Health also has a clinic inside.
“Our team is really eager to start serving guests in this wonderful building,” said Deanna Beins, administrator of center. “We put a lot of thought into the design to provide the best recovery environment possible.”
The Menno Haven Rehabilitation Center will employ about 80 people. Positions are still available, according to Ray.
Menno Haven employs more than 635 people and is advertising positions in nursing, dietary, maintenance, housekeeping and assisting residents.
