PHILADELPHIA, August 19 - In fulfillment of a decades-long dream of providing long-term care for the frail elderly in South Philadelphia, the Catholic Health Care Services (CHCS) of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia today announced that, pending certain conditions such as regulatory approvals, it will be acquiring the assets of the Methodist Hospital Nursing Center from Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals. The facility, located at 2509 South 4th Street, will be renamed St. Monica Manor.

Once the final regulatory approvals are in place, CHCS hopes to assume ownership of the facility by the end of August. Catholic Health Care Services, which also operates nine other facilities in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, plans to improve the programs and services to make the environment more pleasant for residents and staff. The facility is licensed for 180 beds.

"This is a long-awaited opportunity to offer faith-based, compassionate care to the frail elderly of South Philadelphia," said Reverend Joseph A. Tracy, Secretary of Catholic Human Services for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. He added, "As we move forward, we want to assure staff, residents and community that we are doing everything we can to ensure a smooth transition, addressing the concerns of all who are impacted by the ownership change. Our first priority is to provide quality care to the residents."

CHCS plans to rename the facility St. Monica Manor to honor the memory of two people connected with St. Monica Parish who made this acquisition possible. The bequests of Monsignor Aloysius F. Farrell, a former St. Monica Parish pastor, and his aunt, Mary Townsend, created the Farrell-Townsend trust, constituted with the intention to establish a Catholic nursing home in South Philadelphia. CHCS welcomed the opportunity acquire the Methodist Hospital Nursing Center after a long period of frustrating attempts to find a suitable location for a Catholic facilities

"St. Monica Manor will be a testament to the Archdiocese's commitment to serving the needs of the faithful of South Philadelphia. As the community's needs change over time, the Church continues to make adjustments to meet those needs," said Father Tracy.

He added, "The elderly represent a growing percentage of South Philadelphia's population, and a great majority of them are Catholic. We are gratified to know that Catholic Health Care Services will be able to provide long-term care in a setting that will help keep our elderly residents connected to their faith, their families and their South Philadelphia roots."

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Other nursing facilities owned, operated or managed by Catholic Health Care Services:
• Saint Mary Manor (Lansdale, PA)
• Immaculate Mary Home (Philadelphia, PA)
• Saint Francis Country House (Darby, PA)
• Saint John Neumann Nursing Home (Philadelphia, PA)
• Saint Martha Manor (Downingtown, PA)
• Villa Saint Martha (Downingtown, PA)
• Villa Saint Joseph (Darby, PA)
• Saint Katherine Drexel Residence (Philadelphia, PA)
• Saint John Vianney Center (Downingtown, PA)

Mission Statement of Catholic Health Care Services of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia:
The mission of Catholic Health Care Services is rooted in the mission of the Roman Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. Catholic Health Care Services is committed to excellence in the provision of care because we believe that all people, created in the image and likeness of God, possess an innate dignity and destiny. We believe that human life must be respected from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death. We respond to the example of Jesus Christ in the gospels by serving those with health-related needs through the provision of physical, psycho-social and spiritual care. We are committed to the church's preferential option to serve the poor, and so we strive to serve those in need with compassion and through responsible stewardship.

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Donna Farrell
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