FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

From Hazardous to Healthful - Palm Healthcare Grant

Builds Safer Home Environment for Disabled

WEST PALM BEACH, FL—Work is underway on a $40,000 renovation project at Palm Beach Habilitation Center’s JB’s Ranch to eliminate in-home hazards for ten disabled men living at this group home in Lake Worth.  Funded by Palm Healthcare Foundation, the project will remove risk areas in the home’s bathrooms and reconstruct them according to ADA guidelines, providing a safer environment for daily living.

The bathrooms at JB’s Ranch were an every day challenge to the men with cerebral palsy, osteoporosis and other disabilities.  The traditional bathrooms presented numerous risks to residents who had difficulty maneuvering in and out of bathtubs with no support railings, creating a potentially dangerous situation and limiting their ability to function independently.   

“We admire the work the Habilitation Center is doing for our community and are proud to assist them in their efforts to help our community’s disabled become more independent,” said Jan Rodusky, VP of Grant Programs.  “On this project, we are funding the renovation of four of their bathrooms to prevent peril and preserve health. By replacing tubs with showers and making them ADA accessible we are hoping the risk of injury or potentially fatal accidents becomes obsolete.”

The progress on this important project is exciting to the residents and staff. Paul Andersen, Director of Residential Services for Palm Beach Habilitation Center, explains the challenges that the individuals with disabilities who reside in the group home face on a daily basis.  “The support of Palm Healthcare Foundation is so very important because it greatly improves the lives of the ten men with disabilities who reside in the house – now and in the future.  Not only does it eliminate a daily physical barrier, but it also will enable the current residents to continue living in the group home even if their physical condition deteriorates,” stressed Andersen. 

Since 1959, the Habilitation Center, a United Way Agency, has provided programs and services for men and women in Palm Beach County who are developmentally, physically and emotionally disabled. The 13 acre main campus is located in Lake Worth, FL. For more information, please call 561-965-8500 or visit them at www.pbhab.org.

About Palm Healthcare Foundation, Inc.
Palm Healthcare Foundation, Inc. was chartered in 2001 as an independent community healthcare foundation. Believing that “Together We Can Do More,” the foundation’s mission is to transform healthcare challenges by bringing together the talents and resources of the community to create innovative solutions that deliver high-impact results. The Foundation’s funding priorities—access to healthcare, healthcare quality and safety, healthcare technology, healthcare policy and healthcare workforce—are designed to empower non-profit healthcare organizations and healthcare professionals to create programs and services that improve the quality of life for Palm Beach County’s underserved citizens.  Since 2001, the Foundation has distributed more than $20 million to over 80 non-profit organizations in Palm Beach County.  To learn more about Palm Healthcare Foundation, please visit www.palmhealthcarefoundation.org.