Upland Hills Health announces purchase of property for senior living campus

The Upland Hills Health Board of Trustees has acquired land for the future home of its senior living center, near the current hospital campus.

UHH has purchased about eight acres from the Hennessey family (sisters Teresa Hillman, Marcia Koenig and Heidi Budzinski) and 35 acres from Susan Donaldson, with an option to purchase another 65 acres, on which it plans to build two assisted living facilities, with construction slated to start as soon as later this year.

The Hennessey land lies adjacent to the east side of State Highway 23 just south of the hospital, connecting to Brennan Road to the south. The 35 acres being purchased (and 65 option acres) are just east of the Hennessey property and connect to Upland Hills Health land to the north and Brennan Road to the south.

“We are delighted that we were able to find land for our senior living campus so close to the hospital,” UHH Board of Trustees Chairman Jim Massey said. “It is a perfect location for an extension of the healthcare services we offer at our hospital and clinics.”

Massey said members of the Hennessey family and Ms. Donaldson were gracious in their negotiations with the hospital, knowing the land would be put to good use.

“The Hennessey family has been long-time supporters of the hospital, and this was another way the sisters could continue the legacy begun by their parents,” Massey said. “Ms. Donaldson also negotiated with the hospital in good faith, and we are grateful to both families for working with us to make these purchases possible.”

“This project reflects our deep commitment to serving the community at every stage of life,” said Upland Hills Health President and CEO Lisa Schnedler. “We recognize the challenges families face when a loved one needs additional care, and we are proud to offer a high-quality solution that supports both seniors and their families.”

The senior living campus will include a 63-bed assisted living center, offering both one-assist and two-assist (high-needs) care. While the new campus will not include a traditional nursing home, the high-needs assisted living unit will provide the care that most nursing home patients require at a significant cost savings to residents.

“This milestone is the result of years of thoughtful planning and dedication,” Massey said. “Our board has carefully studied how best to meet the needs of our aging population — conducting market research, evaluating options, and consulting experts. We believe this initiative aligns perfectly with our mission to provide compassionate, high-quality care to the community.”

In addition to the new senior living campus, UHH is also doubling the number of memory care beds available to area residents through the use of CrestRidge Assisted Living in Dodgeville. Once construction of the new assisted living buildings is complete, UHH will also more than double the number of memory care beds available to area residents by remodeling its CrestRidge Assisted Living and Memory Care facility as a dedicated memory care residence. Dependent on care needs, residents of CrestRidge will have options for staying at CrestRidge or moving to one of the new assisted living buildings.

ElderSpan Management, which currently operates CrestRidge, will also manage the new facilities.

“We’ve built a strong partnership with Upland Hills Health over 27 years, and expanding our collaboration with this project is a natural next step,” said David Griffin, President and CEO of ElderSpan Management, LLC. “This new campus will allow us to continue providing housing and healthcare of highest quality to the greatest number of seniors in the region.”

The plan for expanding senior living services has been in the works for nearly a decade. UHH officials were in discussions with Iowa County officials for several years with a goal of building a joint facility, which would have taken advantage of the federal subsidies offered to county-owned facilities with residents receiving Medicaid benefits, thus making a traditional nursing home financially viable. However, the county eventually dropped out of those discussions and closed Bloomfield Manor, leaving UHH to develop a senior living plan on its own.

Construction on the new senior living campus is expected to take 18 to 24 months and could begin as soon as this year.