Two local nonprofits providing health care and other services for older adults in Colorado Springs are merging, the groups announced this week. The merger of the Bethesda Foundation and Rocky Mountain Health Care, which have a combined 120 years of senior care experience, should not impact the da ily lives of existing patients, both groups said. The Bethesda Foundation operates Bethesda Senior Living Communities, which runs three senior living communities in the Colorado Springs area, housing over 300 people. It has been headquartered in the Gleneagle area since 1979, said Bethany DeBerard, Bethesda Senior Living’s vice president of sales and marketing. Rocky Mountain Health Care Services runs the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), which provides primary medical care, medication management, physical therapy, specialty services, in-home care, social work assistance and transportation to appointments for elderly patients, according to the PACE website. Staff with both companies called the move a “true merger,” saying both will continue to operate “within separate entities.” Some support services will be consolidated and serve both organizations as the merger moves forward, but the groups do not anticipate any layoffs, they said. “This merger makes sense because it builds on an established partnership rather than creating something new,” DeBerard said in an email. “Historically, healthcare providers and senior living organizations have more often operated separately, but it is not uncommon for operations to be combined.” Roughly 100 people who use Rocky Mountain PACE reside in Bethesda’s Colorado Springs assisted living and memory care communities, according to a news release. The merger will expand care options, improve service coordination and make it easier for the organizations to “meet the growing and evolving needs of older adults in the region,” the release added. Neither DeBerard nor Melissa Kerr, Rocky Mountain Health Care Service’s chief experience officer, anticipate any changes in the day-to-day lives of patients. Bethesda and Rocky Mountain PACE will largely continue their missions as they are now, they said via email.   Of the nearly 500,000 people living in Colorado Springs, roughly 93,000 (close to 20%) were 62 or older, according to 2020 census data. Rocky Mountain PACE last year opened its third location in the region. That location, south of Interstate 25 at 1420 Quail Lake Loop, brought senior care services to the city’s south side. Two other locations, 2502 E. Pikes Peak Ave. and 8595 Explorer Drive, extend PACE’s reach to the central and northern parts of Colorado Springs, respectively. The organization operates a fleet of buses, further extending Rocky Mountain PACE’s reach to other areas of El Paso County like Peyton, Falcon and Elbert. “By joining forces, we are strengthening our ability to serve older adults with dignity, compassion, and excellence,” Nate Olson, chief executive officer of Rocky Mountain PACE, said in the news release. “This merger allows us to leverage resources and expertise while continuing the high standards of care our participants have come to expect.” The process of merging the two groups will occur over the coming months, the news release said. ...read more read less