The following are excerpts of an article from the Daily Chief-Union, by Brian Hemminger, City Editor. July 18, 2024.
WCOED Member Vancrest of Upper Sandusky celebrated construction of a new senior care facility with a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday afternoon in Upper Sandusky.
Vancrest Health Care Centers has been a leader in senior care for over 60 years. It officially took over the location formerly known as Fairhaven Community in June 2023 after purchasing the facility from United Church Homes in May 2023.
The new Vancrest of Upper Sandusky, located next door to the current facility, will include a 99-bed skilled nursing facility, consisting of 79 long-term care beds and a specialized 20-bed rehabilitation wing. Additionally, the facility will include a 40-unit assisted living facility with 10 units dedicated to memory care.Vancrest Administrator Nick White said the new memory care unit will be a first for Vancrest, but said he had faith it will succeed because current employees at the Vancrest of Upper Sandusky location have done such a tremendous job with the memory care wing, which was in place before Vancrest purchased the facility.
Vancrest President Mark White said the new facility will be the largest project Vancrest has undertaken thus far.
The $18 million project is scheduled to span approximately 20 months and the project marks a significant expansion for Vancrest in the Upper Sandusky community. Mark White said Vancrest has a mission of CARE, which stands for customer focused, attitude, responsibility and empathy.
“We are excited to begin construction on this new facility, which will enable us to continue delivering high-quality care and innovative services,” Mark White said. “This expansion reflects our ongoing commitment to meeting the diverse needs of seniors in Upper Sandusky.”Vancrest has locations in Ada, Delphos, Eaton, Hicksville, Holgate, New Carlisle, Payne, Greenville, St. Marys, Urbana and Van Wert. Vancrest of Upper Sandusky Director of Marketing Ann Osborn said she visited some of the newer facilities Vancrest has built and said she is excited for what’s coming. “I’ve been to the new locations in Hicksville and St. Marys and all I could think was, ‘Wow, this is coming to our community. We’re so blessed,’” Osborn said.
The new facility will be 87,000 square feet and will be a zero-threshold area, meaning residents and employees will not have to deal with stairs or any additional floors in the building. “We’ll never have to worry about an elevator breaking down again,” Vancrest of Upper Sandusky Administrator Gene Smith said.
The WCOED assisted in the project through permitting, infrastructure planning, and the facilitation of a Community Reinvestment Area Agreement. The new project will result in the creation of 20 new full-time positions.
Alexander & Bebout Inc. is the design build general contractor for the construction and site development. “We’re proud to be a part of this project,” A&B Vice President Brad Ream said. “We have a long history with Vancrest and know that they will be a true asset to the Upper Sandusky community.”
Vancrest is headquartered in Van Wert and is a family-owned company offering a range of services including skilled nursing, assisted living, therapy and home health delivered across multiple locations in Ohio.