The Friday, Feb. 19, grand opening of the new Three Palms Health Center at East Ridge at Cutler Bay was celebrated with a formal ribbon cutting and resident celebration.
Troy Hart, SantaFe Senior Living president, was on hand for the event and recognized many of the people who contributed to this significant accomplishment at East Ridge for its residents.
“We worked hard to get this building off the ground and its completion is the culmination of our efforts to enrich the lives of each person we serve,” he said. “Three Palms marks the future of senior living and offers the ability of living a life of quality.”
The new Three Palms at East Ridge has been a unique collaboration involving the residents and SantaFe Senior Living, the sponsor and management entity, with the architectural firm, AG Architecture of Wisconsin, and interior designer Bridget Bohacz + Associates Inc. of Glen Burnie, MD.
Resident and East Ridge town council chair Marty McLaren told the story behind the inspiration for the Health Center’s concept saying “no one wants to go to a nursing home and certainly not before you have to and this was the feeling held by many.”
McLaren, with other community leaders, were determined to change the image of a nursing home and make it a place where people come to live. They decided to call their program “Choice and Change” and incorporate a new philosophy of resident-centered care. This philosophy incorporates the encouragement of autonomy and choice, respects individual differences and ensures physical and person privacy.
Challenged by the Town of Cutler Bay to be certified with LEED classification, East Ridge accomplished more than the minimum requirement and the building received a LEED Platinum rating under the US Green Building Council’s LEED for Home program. It is a premier example of sustainability in the Miami area, with features such as low emitting materials including carpeting and paint, as well as thermally efficient energy and water. Carla Butterfield with Steven Winter Associates INC (SWA) was the LEED provider and rater for the community and presented East Ridge with the Platinum certificate.
The Three Palms Health Center offers assisted living, memory care and skilled nursing and rehabilitation under one roof. Accommodations and services are open to Cutler Bay area residents as well as to those calling East Ridge home.
Additionally, the building offers home health services and medical offices of Baptist Health Medical, the community’s new dining room and bistro for independent living residents, and laundry facilities.
Celebrating more than 50 years serving Miami-Dade County, East Ridge at Cutler Bay, a SantaFe Senior Living Community, is the area’s only life care community incorporating eight components of wellness: social, vocational, intellectual, spiritual, physical, emotional, environmental and health services in every facet of its lifestyle.
The community draws from the rich neighborhood charm of suburban Cutler Bay and the vibrancy of Miami in a lush tropical environment of 76 acres. East Ridge is located at 19301 SW 87 Ave. and offers a continuum of care including independent living. The new Three Palms Health Center offers assisted living and memory care, skilled nursing and rehabilitation services.
For more information, call 305-256-3564 for a personal tour or visit www.EastRidgeatCutlerBay.com.
