The senior care and housing provider Wartburg in Mount Vernon and the New York Archdiocese’s health care system ArchCare have announced an agreement that will integrate Wartburg’s operations into ArchCare. Wartburg described it for Westfair’s Westchester County Business Journal as being similar to community hospitals becoming part of larger health systems, such as White Plains Hospital and Burke Rehabilitation becoming part of Montefiore.
ArchCare has begun providing financial, operational and administrative support to Wartburg as allowed by law, according to the announcement. Final regulatory approval is anticipated in 12 to 18 months. Wartburg said that becoming part of the larger ArchCare system will provide access to the wider resources, operational efficiencies, expertise and infrastructure investments needed to sustain its mission in what it described as an “increasingly tenuous health care environment.”
Wartburg said that ArchCare will become “the sole member of Wartburg’s skilled nursing, rehabilitation and assisted living facilities and affordable housing properties under New York state nonprofit law, allowing ArchCare to fully integrate them into its ministry.”
“In Wartburg we see much more than an organization that shares our mission, values and commitment to caring for the whole person — body, mind and spirit,” ArchCare President and CEO Scott LaRue said. “We see an opportunity to continue to build on Wartburg’s strong reputation and deep community ties and to use the resources and expertise of the church to ensure that care with Christian values remains vibrant, accessible and sustainable in lower Westchester long into the future.”
According to Dr. David Gentner, Wartburg’s president and CEO, “Wartburg is grateful for the opportunity to partner with ArchCare to continue to expand our ministry while maintaining Wartburg’s Lutheran identity and values. With the support of our Board of Directors and this community, we are excited to move this initiative forward on behalf of the seniors and families we serve, our employees who will benefit from a broader array of career opportunities within one of the nation’s largest continuing care systems, and of course our longstanding donors and those who volunteer with us.”
Wartburg was founded in 1866 to care for Civil War orphans. In 1897, it added the Mary Louise Heins Home for the Aged. It has grown to offer traditional nursing home and rehabilitative care, assisted and independent living, a medical adult social day program and a freestanding memory care center with 64 apartments for people living with dementia and other cognitive challenges. Last October, Wartburg broke ground for the Waltemade Residence, its second affordable building for seniors, which is slated to open in 2027 with 102 affordable apartments, including 30 supportive units for those with very low incomes.
Mount Vernon Mayor Shawyn Patterson-Howard said, “This affiliation will position ArchCare-Wartburg’s campus to become the most comprehensive senior care and housing provider in the region. The move strengthens our community ecosystem of services intent on reducing barriers to care, minimizing taxpayer cost, and most importantly maximizing quality of life. I am looking forward to supporting this initiative on behalf of the City of Mount Vernon.”
