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Innovative New Health Program for Elderly Adds to Services at CBKC Campus
PACE KC, the comprehensive Program for All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, will start enrolling its first eligible participants in the first quarter of 2024 from its recently completed facility at 4141 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
The $15 million, 34,000-square-foot PACE KC Adult Wellness Center is the latest investment in the massive Mt. Cleveland Initiative which has seen, between the investment of Swope Health in PACE and Community Builders of Kansas City (CBKC) in The Rochester, more than $30 million in completed development in just the last two years.
“Swope Health continues to innovate as they further the quality of and access to critical health care services to our community,” said Emmet Pierson, Jr., president and CEO of CBKC. “PACE KC is a game-changing addition to what we have been working to develop for the last 30 years – a walkable campus of essential and complementary services that measurably improve the quality of life of those we serve.”
PACE provides what all of us want for our fragile elders in health care – a team of health care professionals who coordinate all aspects of care and provides the entire continuum medical care and long-term services and supports including:
- primary and specialty medical care; in-home services;
- prescription drugs;
- specialty care such as audiology, dentistry, optometry, podiatry and speech therapy;
- respite care;
- transportation; adult day services, including nursing, meals, nutritional counseling, social work, personal care and physical, occupational and recreational therapies;
- hospital and nursing home care, when necessary; and
- any other services or supports that are medically necessary to maintain or improve the health status of PACE program participants.
Older Adults can join the PACE KC program if they meet these guidelines:
- They are 55 years of age or older.
- Live in Jackson County, Missouri.
- Are certified by the state of Missouri as meeting the need for nursing home-level care.
- Can live safely in the community with the help of PACE programs at the time of joining.
Heath Rath, PACE KC executive director, said PACE is a highly individualized, high-touch program designed to help participants continue living at home with access to every medically necessary care and service, even those not covered by Medicare and Medicaid.
“PACE has not only proved to result in better health status for participants, but it also offers supports for care givers, has been shown to deliver cost savings to states’ Medicare programs and is especially attractive to health care professionals,” he added. “With PACE, they get to provide healthcare in the way they feel is best.”
The PACE KC Adult Wellness Center is the home for the PACE KC interdisciplinary care team and houses not just clinical spaces but also serves as a place where participants can socialize while using the day center, rehab gym, computer lab, library, arts and crafts room, bathing suite, low stimulation memory care area and outdoor recreation space.
And it is not just this state-of-the-art building and its people that will impact the life of participants.
“This whole campus acts as a continuum of care,” said Rath. “There is massive value just in having the Sun Fresh grocery store next door. Our care aides can take participants and shop. Our dietician can give lessons in healthy eating habits as they walk through the store and there are more social service organizations they can access that have offices in the CBKC headquarters building adjacent to us. Most of our enrollees are homebound. All these resources go a long way in getting needs met while reducing social isolation.”
There are currently 155 active PACE programs with 75,000 beneficiaries in the U.S. Rath said he anticipates the KC program serving 350 enrollees within five years, creating 90 jobs in the process.
CBKC hosts HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge
Community Builders of Kansas City was glad to host HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge on our campus this afternoon. Also in attendance were regional administrators from HHS, EPA, HUD and USDA.
Mayor Lucas and 3rd District Councilwomen Robinson and Hazley added to the rich discussions.
Thank you to Congressman Emmanuel Cleaver and his staff for the opportunity!
CBKC Construction Progress Impacts Local Jobs, Economy
With the supply chain and labor constraints of the pandemic era in the rearview mirror, 2023 was a busy year for Community Builders of Kansas City (CBKC) development projects. About $13 million was spent on construction and 2024 is projected to be twice that pace at $25 million.
“We are well positioned to carry that momentum into this new year,” said Shannon Hesterberg, CBKC chief operations and real estate officer. “It’s always satisfying to see progress being made because the benefits to the community go beyond the obvious brick and mortar. It also creates jobs and promotes the economy and, at the end of the day, that’s what is most important to us.”
Construction continues in the Overlook District as plans progress for the first office building to go vertical in early 2024. Projected to cost around $20 million to build, the Health Forward Foundation signed on as its anchor tenant taking 20,000 of the 64,000-square-foot Class A commercial building located at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and Chestnut Ave. The multi-phase Overlook District will transform underused and blighted property into 180,000 square feet of Class A office space, 19,000 square feet of mixed-use space and 155 multi-family units. Other features include a health and wellness walking trail and outdoor event plazas, making the development another first of its kind in the area.
A massive overhaul on The Cleveland units and construction of its new clubhouse were completed in December with minimal tenant disruption. The $8 million project combined Mt. Cleveland Heights and Mt. Cleveland Townhomes into one property located at 51st St. and Cleveland Ave.
“Our residents have given us enthusiastically positive feedback on the changes, which include modern appliances, new paint and flooring and modernized bathrooms and kitchens,” said Hesterberg. “The property’s exterior got new roofing and paint as well as the addition of a beautiful new clubhouse with space for classes, exercise and computer rooms and a common area where residents can hold meetings or gatherings. Also, new onsite programming such as health/wellness initiatives, job search and career development services and youth-oriented activities have been added.”
Renovations at Twin Elms Senior Housing Complex, located at 41st Street and The Paseo, began in December 2023. CBKC secured Missouri Housing Development Commission (MHDC) low-income housing tax credits (LIHTC) for the project. The $8.8 million in renovations to the 20-year-old property include a new roof; stucco priming and painting; new landscaping, fencing and irrigation system; and sidewalk repairs. Inside the 54-unit building HVAC, flooring, kitchen and bathroom cabinetry, countertops, window coverings, appliances, plumbing fixtures and lighting are being modernized. The on-site amenities will be updated as well including a renovated primary community room with kitchenette, office space with computer stations, smaller community room with TV area and billiards, a fitness room and small library.
“This project is especially important because it fills a tremendous need for affordable senior housing in Kansas City’s urban core,” said Hesterberg.
All are invited to take a look at the bee mural and pollinators at work – thanks to the efforts of MO Hives KC – on the Overlook District’s wellness trail.
CBKC’s Pierson, Others Present U.S. Rep. Cleaver II with National Award
Champions of Community Development Award Presented at Washington, D.C. Event
Once a year, African American legislators come together to talk policy issues, pending legislation and celebration of accomplishments in Washington, D.C., at the Congressional Black Congress (CBC). It was at this year’s event in September that Community Builders of Kansas City (CBKC) President and CEO Emmet Pierson, Jr., was able to join national leaders from Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC), Wells Fargo Bank and the National Alliance of Community and Economic Development Associations (NACEDA) to present U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II with the Champions of Community Development Award. The award recognizes commitment to the advancement of initiatives that promote economic growth and equity in local communities.
“It was an honor to be in the room with other prominent national community development professionals,” said Pierson. “Rep. Cleaver has devoted his entire career to community economic initiatives for people of color, including affordable housing and employment opportunities.”
Cleaver was elected as Kansas City, Missouri’s first African American mayor in 1991 and served 12 years on the city council. As mayor, he distinguished himself as an economic development and redevelopment activist leading the effort to build and name the Bruce R. Watkins Roadway and working closely with CBKC on the reconstruction and beautification of Brush Creek.
Cleaver is now serving his 10th term representing Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District. Among his accomplishments is the creation of a Green Impact Zone, the redevelopment of 150 blocks of blighted and crime-ridden urban core that has received approximately $125 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment funds. The Green Impact Zone’s purpose is to convert a high-crime area into the environmentally greenest piece of urban geography in the world. The project includes rebuilding Troost Avenue; rehabbing bridges, curbs and sidewalks; home weatherization; smart grid technology in hundreds of homes; and most importantly, creating hundreds of much-needed jobs for Green Zone residents.
In 2016, as ranking member of the Housing and Insurance Subcommittee, Cleaver successfully co-authored the largest sweeping reform bill on housing programs in 20 years, the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act, a bipartisan comprehensive housing bill that passed into law with a unanimous vote.
“I’ve had the privilege of working alongside Rep. Cleaver throughout my career and consider him a friend as well, so it was especially gratifying to see him rewarded with the Champions of Community Development Award for his dedication to Kansas City community development,” said Pierson.
About the CBC
Founded in 1971, the mission of the Congressional Black Caucus is to address and advocate for legislative initiatives that promote the interests and concerns of African Americans and other marginalized communities with a focus on social, economic and political justice.
CBKC Imagines Future Expansion, Impact with New Strategic Framework
In September, Community Builders of Kansas City (CBKC) leadership convened to develop a framework that will shape the future of the organization. In a workshop led by prominent Washington, D.C., urban development consultant Steve Glaude, the framework examined the organization’s core values and established the priorities that will carry them forward.
“CBKC’s mission remains the same – to change the landscape by igniting and fueling equity, access, opportunity and advocacy,” said Emmet Pierson, Jr., president and CEO. “We are imagining a future that expands upon that foundation by defining our strategic pillars – to develop, invest, innovate and advocate for the audiences we serve – and establishing the objectives and strategies that will take us there.”
The organization’s priorities for the future include real estate development, community investment/lending, asset and wealth building, community health and wellness, public policy/advocacy and high-impact initiatives.
“Just in the last year, another landscape-changing project – The Rochester – was completed and now is nearly 100 percent leased,” added Pierson. “We recently got underway on another transformative development for this community – the Overlook District – which will have 180,000 square feet of Class A office space, 19,000 square feet of mixed-use space and 155 multi-family units. Now we’re setting our sights on the next projects that will alter the landscape and impact lives in a transformative way.”
The strategic framework laid out in September is just that – a framework that is fluid enough to allow for agility in changing or expanding on the organization’s purpose and geography.
“Some of our hot button topics we’re looking at go beyond real estate initiatives such as improving access to capital and resources for minority entrepreneurs; providing programs for career development, mentoring and leadership; creating a health referral system and expanding and formalizing our community outreach initiatives like the summer Starlight movie and the Thanksgiving turkey giveaway,” explained Pierson.
Beyond the brick-and-mortar and programming initiatives, the organization looks to expand its presence beyond Kansas City.
Sun Fresh Linwood Employee Made Store Director
Gerald Smith has been promoted to store director of Community Builders of Kansas City-owned KC Sun Fresh on Linwood, located at 3110 Wabash Ave. Smith has been with the store since it opened in 2018 as part of the Linwood Shopping Center redevelopment funded by The City of Kansas City, Missouri.
“I started working here when I was a sophomore in high school,” said Smith. “I was hired as a sacker, then consistently progressed to cashier, stocking, receiving, customer service and pricing, so I’ve worked just about every role at this store.”
In late 2021, when CBKC became the owner of the store, Smith began training as assistant store director and this spring was promoted to store director. In that role, he manages a staff of 80 as well as all operations of the store.
“Now that I’m director, I’m gaining a deeper understanding of the bakery, deli and meat departments,” he said. “There’s a lot to learn in those areas and I want to be able to fill in if needed.”
When asked how store operations are going, he was positive, saying that sales have been increasing and this summer hit record levels.
As for future plans, Smith says he wants to add new services to the store, like a taco bar and ice cream or smoothie shop. While those plans are in the works, he is enjoying the day-to-day work.
“The best part about my job is being able to help members of the community,” he said. “Sun Fresh is an important part of the East Side and I take seriously my role in providing healthy, affordable food for residents.”
When KC Sun Fresh on Linwood opened in 2018, it alleviated a food desert and served as a vital piece of the ongoing revitalization along the corridor. CBKC took over ownership in December 2021 when the previous owners decided to sell. Along with the Linwood store, CBKC also owns KC Sun Fresh on Blue Parkway, located at 4209 E 50th Terr., which it took over in 2020 when that operator retired.
Although CBKC operates two of the largest grocery stores east of Troost, owning and operating full-service supermarkets was never part of its original business plan.
“This was not part of our plan,” Emmet Pierson, Jr., president and CEO of CBKC, said. “But what is in our plan, is fulfilling unmet needs for goods and services on the East Side. We stepped up and took over these stores so members of our community could feed their families nutritious food.”