The state’s 13th PACE program serving aging seniors has opened in Traverse City. The PACE (Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly) model provides comprehensive health and wellness care for nursing home-eligible adults who choose to live in their community instead of a nursing facility. Eligible participants are age 55 and older; certified by their state to require nursing home level of care; live in the defined service area; and are able to live safely in the community at time of enrollment.

The Grand Traverse Pavilions is the sponsoring organization for this local PACE program. Its foundation generated over $3.5 million through the PACE Capital Campaign, including a $50,000 grant from Blue Cross and a $1 million grant from the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation. Grand Traverse County Commissioners previously approved the sale of the former county health department building at 2325 N. Garfield Road to the Pavilions for the headquarters of the PACE program, which serves a seven-county service area, including all of Benzie, Grand Traverse, Kalkaska, Leelanau, and Wexford counties and portions of Antrim and Manistee counties. Over 130 PACE programs are in operation across the country.