WesleyLife, Genesis Health Announce Site, Name of New WellSpire Community in Bettendorf
June 4, 2019
JOHNSTON and DAVENPORT, IOWA–Leaders with WesleyLife of Johnston, Iowa, and Genesis Health System of Davenport, Iowa, have announced that through their new organization, WellSpire, they will break ground later this year on a Community for Healthy Living on 14 acres southwest of the intersection of 53rd Street and Middle Road in Bettendorf, Iowa.
The community, designed for older adults, will be called The Meridian, and will include levels of living ranging from Independent and Assisted Living to Memory Support, Short-Term Rehabilitation, and Long-Term Care. A “one-stop” Genesis HealthPlex will be constructed adjacent to the Meridian campus. Approximately 100 Independent Living apartments, 16 Assisted Living and 16 Assisted Living Memory Support, and 20 Short-Term Rehabilitation and 20 Healthcare suites will be offered.
The architectural design of the building will present a unique departure from the typical senior living community design, with the use of materials reflecting the connection to the earth, the Iowa farmland, and the influence of the region’s rivers.
“We’re honored to become part of the Quad Cities’ senior living landscape, and we look forward to bringing the WellSpire brand of vivacity, activity, health, and well-being to a market that welcomes development and enhancement of services for older adults,” Rob Kretzinger, CEO of WesleyLife, said.
“Through our partnership with Genesis Health, we’re focused on a common mission to pave the way for people 55 and older to lead healthier, more fulfilling lives that focus on purpose and well-being. The Meridian will be an opportunity to illustrate how we plan to make that mission come to life.”
WellSpire chose the Bettendorf site for the new campus due to its rapid growth over the past several years, and projected future growth. He added that Bettendorf community leadership has been a solid partner in facilitating development.
The name of the community was chosen with similar deliberation, he said.
“A meridian is defined as the highest point in a structure, and our architecture will reflect that height element – but more importantly, a meridian is also the pathway along which vital energy is said to flow,” Kretzinger said. “We plan for The Meridian to be a place where that energy will be felt as soon as a person walks in the door – a place where people can realize the potential for the second half of their lives.”
WellSpire, formed in January, marks the first joint venture for WesleyLife, which has served for nearly three-quarters of a century as Iowa’s most comprehensive provider of housing and services for older adults. In combining its expertise with Genesis Health System’s existing senior living portfolio, the organization hopes to inspire residents of the Quad Cities to view the aging process differently.
“The name ‘WellSpire’ is derived from the words ‘well’ and ‘inspire,’ and our choosing those two words was very deliberate in terms of our goals for the new organization,” Kretzinger said. “Our view of the aging experience is that the second half of life can indeed be the best half. The Meridian will illustrate that belief.”
In addition to development of The Meridian, initial plans for WellSpire include:
- Identifying needed programmatic and physical changes, expansions, or new developments to the Genesis properties of Illini Restorative Care and Crosstown Square apartments in Silvis, Illinois, and Westwing Place in DeWitt, Iowa, as those campuses will transition to the auspices of WellSpire.
- Through the lens of transforming the aging experience, determining additional opportunities for development or redevelopment in the region.
- In the longer term, developing a new senior living community in the Moline, Illinois, market.
WesleyLife has served the older-adult market in Iowa for 72 years, enhancing purpose and meaning in the lives of people 55 and older through eight Communities for Healthy Living and a robust network of home- and community-based offerings. In addition to a full continuum of levels of living in its communities, the organization provides home health and non-medical in-home services; adult day services; nutrition; transportation; hospice services; and public health nursing care to individuals who wish to remain independent at home.
Genesis Health System serves a 17-county, bi-state region of the Quad Cities metropolitan area and the surrounding communities of Iowa and Illinois. Along with its affiliates, the organization offers a full continuum of care, including preventive, primary, acute and tertiary hospital care; home health and nursing home care; hospice; and rehabilitation.