A family affair.

More than a motto, "Family Taking Care of Family" is a calling for owners Bob and Lynn Huff and their team of licensed healthcare professionals who work among the residents and their extended families all day long. "The design criteria for our healthcare campus," said Bob Huff during a recent tour and interview with Nursing Homes/Long Term Care Management, "included creating a facility I wouldn't hesitate to put my own mother into."

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"Our strategy for success included analyzing an underserved market area, building consensus within the community, gaining political support for the rezoning of 18 acres of land to a Commercial Planned Development zone, using this research in the state Certificate of Need application, and then securing the financing from a combination of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and private commercial sources," explained Charlie Kunkel, planning and financial consultant.

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According to Toni Heavilin, corporate marketing director for Multi-Health Services, because the team had gained an understanding of the specific needs of the community through this groundwork, Scioto Community achieved more than 80% occupancy within six months, which is on par with the national average of 82% occupancy for established facilities. "Everyone in Columbus has been so welcoming to us," exclaimed Bob, "and we have been especially proud to witness additional growth and economic development as a result of our investment in this community."

By design, families are welcomed with an abundance of common areas, quaint social spaces, and outdoor grounds and amenities, including patios directly accessible from most apartments. The array of inside destinations includes an atrium, cafe, movie theater, fitness center, library, and activity rooms. A resident chef prepares meals.

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"Despite the large floorplate, we were able to maintain a very human scale with the building massing, and by providing several distinct points of entry, we gave more people close-in parking and access to specific areas of the facility without having to travel long distances," explained Ron Decker, principal architect for the project.

Classic architectural detailing and sumptuous interior decor consistently applied throughout the facility make residents feel at home, and they are more at ease as they progress or regress through different levels of care within the same familiar environment. The variety of lifestyle options offered, coupled with the community's certification to accept Medicaid/Medicare, ensures that residents will always have a place to stay, according to their financial and medical needs.

Family ties also extended to the design team. "I grew up in this part of Ohio and, having relatives living at Scioto, this became a personal journey for me," said Kay Trimmer, interior design principal. "We were challenged with keeping all furnishings to a HUD budget established two years earlier. Our strategy for success relied on leveraging our longstanding relationships with manufacturers to essentially provide 'custom' interiors at normal pricing and then facilitating a 'direct procurement program' for the Huffs. The savings and 'cost control' came from using a procurement company to gather all of our specified furniture and furnishings directly from the manufacturers in one location, enabling us to deliver and install everything in a 'turnkey' fashion," Trimmer explained.

RELATED ARTICLE: Scioto Community

COLUMBUS, OHIO 

PROJECT SUMMARY

Type of Facility/Setting: CCRC 

Owner: Multi-Health Services, Inc.

Chief Administrator: Robert L. Huff, LNHA, President, [phone]

Architecture: Decker & Associates, Architects, [phone]

Interior Design: Interior Design/Kay Trimmer, [phone]

Planning & Finance: Kunkel & Associates, [phone]

Photography: [c]2004 Dunamis Concepts, [phone]

Capacity: Independent Living--34 Units; Assisted Living--32 Studio, One-, & Two-Bedroom Apartments; Skilled Nursing--93 Beds

Total Project Area (sq. ft.): 77,000 (excluding villas)

Construction Costs: $10,000,000 (excluding villas)

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BY ROBERT VOLZER, CID, IIDA, VOLZER DESIGN DEVELOPMENT