Edward C. Allworth Veterans' Home

Edward C. Allworth Veterans' Home is a skilled nursing facility on 12 acres in Lebanon, Oregon, with spaces for 154 American veterans. It offers assisted living, rehabilitation services and long-term care, as well as care for dementia and Alzheimer's patients.

Edward C. Allworth Veterans' Home
Geography
Location	Oregon, United States
Coordinates	44°33′08″N 122°54′56″W / 44.5522541°N 122.9154191°W / 44.5522541; -122.9154191
Organization
Type	Skilled nursing facility
Services
Beds	154
History
Opened	2014
Links
Lists	Hospitals in Oregon

Design

In April 2010 Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs selected Lebanon as the location of the second Veterans' home in Oregon, on the campus of Samaritan Lebanon Community Hospital (a 25-bed Critical Access Hospital), and next to WesternU's osteopathic medicine school, and Linn–Benton Community College's Lebanon extension. Groundbreaking took place in September 2012 on the $40 million facility.^[1] Named for Maj. Edward Allworth, who was awarded a Medal of Honor for his World War I service, it opened in 2014.^[2]

The facility was designed by CB Two Architects, in collaboration with NBBJ Architecture, using the "small-house" model and design guide of the Department of Veterans Affairs Community Living Centers. The design features "clusters of small residential buildings connected by a spine of shared program space", intended to foster independence and personal connections. The building is divided into eleven housing units with 14 residents each.^[3][1] John Osborn, project manager, said, "The small house model alters the facility's size, the interior design, staffing patterns, and methods of delivering skilled professional care and services."^[4] According to Jeremy Woodall, admissions officer, the design gives residents "more one-on-one time with medical staff and creates an intimate, home-like environment."^[5]

Three paintings by April Waters, including a portrait of Major Allworth, were installed in 2017. The portrait was commissioned by Oregon Percent for Art and the Oregon Department of Veterans' Affairs.^[6]

History

The new facility reached capacity at 154 residents in November 2016, the second anniversary of its opening, a year ahead of projections for full occupancy. In 2016, the average resident age was 85, with an average length of stay being 50 days.^[7]

Coronavirus outbreak

Main article: COVID-19 pandemic in Oregon

A COVID-19 outbreak occurred at the home. By March 16, the virus was confirmed in 13 residents (most over age 70) and one healthcare worker. With 151 residents and 225 workers, the county health director said, "I can't stop it. I can't stop the virus. I can't make test kits appear", but there was some optimism that the spread would be slow since the retirement home is divided into eleven housing units.^{[7][8][9][10][11]} On March 16, Providence Health Systems, Kaiser Permanente, Legacy Health, and Oregon Health & Science University formed a coalition to set up a regional health system in the state in order to address anticipated need for capacity and coordination to address the outbreak.^[12]

References

1. "ODVA Edward C. Allworth Veterans' Home". www.architectmagazine.com. July 21, 2014. from the original on 2015-09-05. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
2. "Project gallery : ODVA Edward C Allworth Veterans Home". Hanley Wood Media, Inc. July 21, 2014. from the original on 2015-09-05. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
3. "VA Small House Model Design Guide" (PDF). cfm.va.gov. March 2019. p. 40. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
4. "Oregon's Newest Veterans Home Ribbon Cutting Ceremony Set for Saturday". Salem News Journal. September 16, 2014. from the original on 2020-03-20. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
5. Liedle, Chris (September 29, 2014). "Veterans home opens in Lebanon: 'The care delivery is different'". KVAL. from the original on 2015-12-27. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
6. "Three Works installed at Edward C. Allworth Veterans' Home in Lebanon". aprilwaters.com. from the original on 2020-03-20. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
7. Paul, Alex (November 8, 2016). "154-bed Edward C. Allworth Veterans Home full by second anniversary". Albany Democrat Herald. from the original on 2020-03-20. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
8. Zarkhin, Fedor (March 12, 2020). "More coronavirus cases expected at veterans' home, Linn County says". The Oregonian. Retrieved March 13, 2020. The day before, two men who live at the home were diagnosed with the virus. Health officials said they don't know how they contracted it, calling it a "community spread."
9. Day, James (March 12, 2020). "New Veterans Home cases bring Linn County total to 8". Albany Democrat-Herald. Retrieved March 13, 2020.
10. Benham, Steve (March 11, 2020). "Oregon's newest cases of coronavirus found at veterans home in Linn County". KATU. Retrieved March 13, 2020. The two latest cases of coronavirus in Oregon, announced Wednesday night, are two men who live at a veterans home in Linn County, according to the Oregon Health Authority.
11. OPB Staff. "Live Updates: Brown Considering Bar, Restaurant Closures; Clark County Has 4th New Case". opb.org. Retrieved 16 March 2020. The Linn County case is a staff member at the Oregon Veterans' Home in Lebanon, which has nine residents who have tested positive as of Sunday afternoon. The staff member has remained in isolation in accordance with infection prevention protocols and public health guidelines, according to the OHA.
12. Manning, Jeff; Sickinger, Ted (March 16, 2020). "Alarmed by projections of virus' spread, Oregon hospitals team up for expanded role". KGW. Retrieved March 16, 2020. In an unprecedented move, the Portland area's four major health systems say they are uniting to form a regional health system "to implement a coordinated response" to the virus. Providence Health Systems, Kaiser Permanente, Legacy Health and Oregon Health and Sciences University are all part of the new coalition.

External links

• The Edward C. Allworth Veterans’ Home Walking Tour on YouTube
• Tour of Veterans Care Center of Oregon
• Energy Trust of Oregon : Edward C. Allworth Veterans’ Home, Lebanon