By 1973, it had become obvious that different levels of care were needed to meet the needs of the growing population. The Elizabeth Haddon Pavilion opened on September 1, 1975, with ground floor offices and three floors of 24 rooms each. The three upper floors of Haddon are now Assisted Living sections. The ground floor has Assisted Living apartments, guest rooms, the Haddon Greenhouse, a Dark Room, the Thrift Shop, and the Employee Lounge.
In May 1976, the John Woolman building was opened, with three floors of 12 rooms each.
Today, one small room on the ground floor has been designated the Quiet Space, and other ground floor rooms have been combined to create Assisted Living apartments. The first floor is a skilled nursing area for short-term care, and the second floor is Assisted Living.
Staffing and equipping the three new facilities led to higher costs. After the federal government approved HMOs, in 1976 Medford Leas became the first enrollee of HCP, Health Care Plan of New Jersey. The company set up its offices and clinics and paid rent for space. HCP accepted patients from the outside as well as residents of Medford Leas, and the size of its operation led to impersonal service and a lack of continuity in procedures. So the Estaugh did not renew the affiliation with HCP when the 5-year contract expired.
The first physician hired after HCP stayed only six months. He was succeeded by Benjamin Paradee, MD, on January 2, 1981. Dr. and Mrs. Paradee are now residents on the Lumberton campus of Medford Leas.
In 1988, Keith Quinton, MD, succeeded Paradee; Quinton retired during 2006, and returned in 2009 on a reduced schedule. Dr. Scott Kapulskey served briefly, and was followed by Jennifer Khelil, DO.
In 1972, residents formed a Health Committee, which continues to this day. Since the beginning, the committee has included residents who had been physicians, nurses, and volunteers in hospital work. After the first year, the work was divided in two: the Health Services and the Medical Volunteers.
The duties of the volunteers include mail delivery, care of plants and flowers, reading aloud, and numerous other acts of kindness to residents in the nursing units. The Health Committee also reviews procedures that are used in the Health Center and remains constantly aware of changes in practice, while continuing to stress quality patient care and patient comfort.
In 2001, a new position of Administrator of Health Services was created to coordinate the Health Center, Assisted Living, Skilled Nursing, Therapy, Pharmacy, and Fitness & Aquatics and to deal with matters of state and federal compliance. Those functions were reorganized in 2011.
The first Occupational Therapy services at Medford Leas were set up in space between the Estaugh and Haddon buildings. In 1999, Medford Leas contracted with Genesis to provide Physical and Occupational Therapy services to residents in expanded facilities on the ground floor of the Estaugh building.
Recreational Therapy continued to be provided by Medford Leas staff in the Activities Room and on trips.
In 1995, a Fitness & Aquatics program was started with a single staff member. By 2010, five employees guided residents’ exercise programs on the two campuses. On the Medford campus, the large Fitness Center is well equipped; it is adjacent to the indoor swimming pool, where aquatic exercises and water walking are supervised by Fitness staff. Land exercises are held on a regular schedule throughout the week in the Fitness Studio, adjacent to the Fitness Center.
Residents in Assisted Living and Skilled Nursing Units are provided with appropriate exercise programs in the Fitness Center, the Indoor Pool, the Activities Room, and a common room in Haddon Pavilion.
Similar schedules are in place on the Lumberton campus, which has an outdoor pool and a fitness center.
On the Medford campus the Fitness and Recreation Committee encourages and oversees enjoyable self-regulating recreational activities such as indoor and outdoor shuffleboard, water volleyball, and Wii games. The committee sponsors the community’s New Year’s Eve Party and co-sponsors an annual Fitness Day with the Fitness and Aquatics Department.
On the Lumberton campus the Pool and Fitness Center Committee, in consultation with the Fitness Staff, sets the rules and regulations for the fitness center and swimming pool and the scheduling of organized activities in these areas such as the annual Polar Bear Dip and competitions with staff and with Kendal-Crosslands, a Quaker CCRC in Pennsylvania.
