Parker at Monroe Celebrates Grand Opening
Monroe Township, NJ — On the morning of March 11th, the residents and staff of Parker at Monroe along with Parker leadership, Board of Trustees, project development team, state and local officials celebrated the long-awaited Grand Opening. The ceremony began with an introduction by the master of ceremonies, Donna Lazartic, Chief Operating Officer, followed by a welcome from Roberto Muñiz, President and CEO, and opening remarks from Clifford E. Holland, Chairman of the Board of Trustees. John Wherry, resident and president of the Parker at Monroe resident council provided heartfelt remarks and congratulations. Guest speakers included William Conroy, Deputy Commissioner of health systems of the New Jersey Department of Health, and Katie Smith Sloan, Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President of LeadingAge. Larry Minnix, President and CEO of LeadingAge, an association of 6.000 not-for-profit organizations representing the field of aging services, provided a congratulatory video message that was played for the audience of 143 guests.
Parker is a leader in the transformation of long-term care to person-directed living, where residents have choice, dignity, self-determination and purposeful lives. Parker at Monroe takes this philosophy a step further. It is a uniquely designed long-term living community that blends an environment similar to assisted living with the best practices of skilled nursing care.
“Parker at Monroe benefits from decades of insights, innovation, and forward thinking,” said Roberto Muñiz. “Our new Monroe community is guided by our long lasting Parker’s philosophy of person-directed care, which is designed to enhance our residents’ quality of life.”
“In developing this long-term living residence, we also strived to become a vital resource to the local community – providing appealing and affordable new options for long-term care in an area with a sizeable aging population,” said Clifford Holland. “We are preserving open space, using energy efficient technology, and have designed attractive home that enhances the surrounding areas,” he added.
The ceremony included a reading by Gerald W. Tamburro, President of the Monroe Township Council of a Proclamation from Monroe Township, Parker also received letters of congratulations from Chris Christie, Governor of the State of New Jersey, and Frank Pallone, Congressman of the United States House of Representatives. Closing remarks were given by William P. Tibbitt, board member and chairman of the Parker at Monroe Task Force, and were followed by tours of the community and an impressive celebratory luncheon.
“Let me thank each of you for taking the time to celebrate the arrival of an exemplar in of long-term care. This is the type of residence that colleagues will be discussing, researching and writing about in the years ahead,” said William Tibbitt.
The remarks of John Wherry, Parker at Monroe resident and president of the Resident Council, brought the excitement of the day into a new perspective. “I have been a resident in several other long-term care facilities, so when I say Parker is truly superior, it is based on 22 years of personal experience. The staff here has been incredibly caring and supportive of my needs, interests and goals. Even though I’ve been here for less than a month, I feel like a member of the Parker family,” Wherry said.
For all in attendance, Wherry’s remarks were all they needed to hear to confirm that Parker at Monroe is, and will be for years to come, successfully fulfilling its potential of a home-like environment where residents thrive and continue to enjoy their lives.
(Photo Caption: Seated in the front row, from left to right: Sister Ann Casserly, Donna Lazartic, Katie Smith Sloan. Standing in back row, left to right: Clifford Holland, Gerald Tamburro, Roberto Muñiz, William Conroy, & William Tibbitt.)
Posted on March 17, 2015
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