The St. Luke Family of Caring, Community Wellness Partners to affiliate

The St. Luke Family of Caring in Oswego and Community Wellness Partners (CWP) in New Hartford have announced plans to affiliate.

The St. Luke Family of Caring is an affiliation of St. Luke Health Services, Bishop’s Commons, and St. Francis Commons. Community Wellness Partners is an affiliation of LutheranCare in Clinton and Presbyterian Homes & Services in New Hartford.

Together, the “multi campus, multi-level” service providers plan to fully affiliate once the agreement’s legal components are complete, which is expected to happen within the next few months.

This affiliation will “continue to honor and uphold the tradition of both organizations with no disruption” in day-to-day operations, the organizations contend. They will focus the intended changes mainly in the areas of strategy, operations, and finance.

Catherine Gill, CEO and administrator of St. Luke Family of Caring, will be retiring on June 30. Jeremy Rutter, president and CEO of Community Wellness Partners, will expand his role to include CEO of the St. Luke Family of Caring affiliates.

Shelly Youngs, St. Luke’s current assistant administrator, will assume the role as administrator of St. Luke Health Services in Oswego upon Gill’s retirement.

The partnership enables all organizations encompassed by this affiliation the chance to continue functioning as a nonprofit, community/faith-based organizations while “laying the groundwork to grow and become stronger financially as they align their goals with the landscape of health-care changes.”

This affiliation was designed to both “maintain the integrity” of the organizations and to “improve the quality and clinical reach” of senior care in Central New York, per the Tuesday announcement.

“This new alliance of our nonprofit health care communities is committed to maintaining the integrity and community based services we have all collectively provided throughout the years. It is an honor to serve our communities and we intend to continue to grow as we meet the needs of those in our care,” Rutter said, speaking on behalf of the organizations.

Gill is “pleased to have facilitated the next step in the evolution of the organization” and is satisfied knowing that the community-based nonprofits to which she has dedicated her 35-year career “will be left in good hands.”

“This anticipated affiliation allows St. Luke the opportunity to remain non-profit, which is so important to me and the community we serve. I have every confidence that Jeremy and our teams will be able to continue to deliver high quality care,” Gill said. “This avenue provides greater benefit to us rather than the alternative of for-profit. By aligning with CWP and their non-profit senior care communities, we are able to re-invest back into our employees, operations and community. I believe this leads to better care for those we serve and a better environment in which to work for our team members.”