Blog
NewCourtland celebrates 150 years
- Posted on Jun 30, 2022
On June 24, we celebrated the 150th Anniversary of the Presbyterian Foundation for Philadelphia. As many of you may or may not know, PFFP is the parent organization of NewCourtland. NewCourtland, as we know it today, grew out of the storied history of PFFP.
History:
NewCourtland is named after Courtland Saunders, a vibrant and aspiring young man who made the ultimate sacrifice when he was shot and killed on September 21, 1862 in a battle during the Civil War. Courtland’s father, The Reverend Dr. Ephraim Saunders, honored his son by establishing the Presbyterian Hospital.
In 1871 the original incorporators declared that the purpose of Presbyterian Hospital was to grant care and nursing to the indigent of Philadelphia funded through donations from individuals and Presbyterian churches.
The trustees of the Hospital renewed this commitment in 1952, voting against a move to the more affluent suburbs and choosing to remain in West Philadelphia to continue providing care to that community. In the 1990s, Presbyterian Hospital enjoyed great prominence in the city as a care center and community hospital.
By the mid 1990s, senior management at Presbyterian Hospital, realized that in an era of increased costs and shrinking revenues, an independent hospital the size of Presbyterian might not survive unless it was strongly allied with a larger system. On July 1, 1995, Presbyterian Hospital became a part of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, thus marking the end of one era and the beginning of another.
At the sale of the hospital in 1995, the trustees believed that they could fulfill their original mission by addressing the needs of those living in nursing homes throughout Philadelphia. Like Courtland Saunders, NewCourtland rose to the challenge, taking up arms to fight for and deliver better care to those living in nursing homes.
NewCourtland established a network of nursing homes that by 2011 served nearly 1,500 and employed more than 2,000 people who together created a culture nationally recognized for its clinical excellence, nurturing environment and innovative programs.
While nursing homes remained a valuable part of the long-term care continuum, in anticipation of the dramatic increase in the nation’s older adult population, NewCourtland expanded into home and community-based services, developing a variety of affordable housing options for seniors complemented by programming to support them as they age. This expansion lead to the transferring of six of the seven nursing homes its Network to deepen its focus on housing, home care and support services.
As NewCourtland further positions itself to anticipate and meet the changing needs of those in need, we truly believe that Rev. Saunders would proudly embrace this shift in fulfillment of the original mission.
Just as the PFFP was founded in the midst of a national crisis 150 years ago, we again find ourselves in the midst of a crisis in the Pandemic and we are, once again, pivoting to meet the changing needs of those we serve and also taking steps to ensure that NewCourtland will see another 150 years of success.
Where we are today
It is from the founding of PFFP that we as an organization get our mission and it is where we derive our calling of “going to the where the need is”. The slogan has been a part of who we are and what we do for many, many years.
As we take on our newest development with the Tower at Henry Avenue, we are blazing a new path that is informed by PFFP and, we think, falls in line with the original vision, by finding a way to sustain our model of care.
By creating a truly inclusive model for housing, we will not only ensure that we continue to provide affordable senior housing and supportive services across the City, but we will also leverage the use of market rate housing to make sure that our model is sustainable and scalable.
Because of our Employees
While “going to where the need is” focuses on those we serve, we also need to remember and turn our focus on those that we employ. While the need is great in Philadelphia, we as an organization would not be able to properly serve and take care of those in our charge if we do not honor and respect our employees.
We need to invest in our co-workers and make sure that they feel valued. In addition to making sure that we are all fully trained, they need to feel fully looked after. If we do not accomplish this most basic of goals, then we cannot responsibly take care of those who stay at our Nursing Home; reside in our housing; attend our senior centers; or utilize our support services.
Without employees who feel that they are treated well and feel like they are part of something bigger, then we will not be able to call any endeavor a success.
This celebration is not only about the formation of the PFFP 150 years but it is also about our staff. Each and every employee. We thank them for their service and for looking out for one another.
Please enjoy the photos highlighting the celebration.