News Archive | The Desert Sun, March 1999 Complex Will Boast One-Stop Senior Care RIVERSIDE - A complex de-signed to provide complete care for Riverside County's seniors is already being eyed by other municipalities as a project to emulate, even though work won't begin until this summer. Integrated Care Communities - a $10.1 million campus of eight buildings and 62,000 square feet covering eight acres near Riverside County Regional Medical Center - is a public-private partnership between the county and the Moreno Valley-based ICC. The project will house facil- ities for skilled nursing and as-sisted living, day-care centers for adults and children, a home-health agency, a wellness center and an outpatient rehabilitation center. Carl Rowe, managing mem-ber for ICC, said the facility provides every facet of senior care in one location, while at the same me promoting training opportunities for health-care professionals. "I don't want to be facetious, but it's kind of the Wal-Mart of health care. Every need you can fill is right there," Rowe said. "There are lots of free-standing skilled nursing facilities, but when their folks are in trouble, there's some serious ramifications to that. It usually means an emergency room ride in an ambulance. The advantage of not having to transport people hither and yon for services is a real advantage to the seniors themselves." Rowe also runs Developmental Client Care Industries, which for 20 years has operated nine facilities for Moreno Valley's developmentally disabled. That made him the perfect choice to create the new facility, which has been in county's master plan since 1989, said Kenneth Cohen, director of the county's health services agency. The company is a quality company, locally owned. Their track record is exceptional. We believe the quality of the service will be impeccable," Cohen said. "It seems that everyone is feeling pretty good about this at this point. This is one of those rare circumstances where it's win-win for everyone involved." The facility will be owned by California Drug Consultants, a nonprofit for which Rowe serves as executive director. The nonprofit status allows construction costs to be covered through tax-exempt bond financing that involves private and federal housing money. Meanwhile, the company pays the county for lease of the land, which is part of the 80-acre medical center. It all comes down to the county spending nothing and in return, get-ting some revenue and crucial services, Cohen said. The facility will also create 170 permanent and full-time jobs. Return to News Archive Main Menu