St John's Lutheran Ministries

St. John's Operations - St. John's Lutheran Ministries, Inc. is a ministry to the world given by 25 local Lutheran (ELCA) ownership congregations who are committed to caring for people regardless of religious preference, race/national origin, gender/age/marital status, diagnosis/disability, or financial status. St. John's began as a HUD facility (115 beds) in 1963 and has grown into one of the largest providers of senior housing and long-term care services in the State of Montana. We offer a full continuum of care providing low-income housing, assisted living, skilled nursing, and independent living, as well as childcare, rehabilitation/home health, child adoption services and many other support services to enhance the lives of those we serve. Continued on Schedule OOverall, we served 801 seniors on our campus in 2023 as well as 1,508 seniors in outlying communities. The below are examples of that support. Skilled Nursing Services - We operate a 46-bed skilled nursing facility, which closed in November 2023, 36 beds located in a transitional rehab unit, as well as 65 skilled nursing beds located in five individual cottages. During 2023, St. John's nursing division cared for 311 residents providing 34,853 patient days of care. St. John's has proven to be an innovative leader in nursing home care through the implementation of programs such as Eden Alternative, Comfort Care Vigil Ministry, and the Green House cottage model with an open door to other service providers from around the country to tour our facilities and exchange information and service delivery ideas. Two principals have contributed to the success of the cottage model of care, 1) the creation of a home environment serving a small group of elders and, 2) the role of the Elder Sharaths ("servant" in Hebrew) in the cottage and the extensive training/education given them to prepare them for this new role. The organization, operations and delivery of care within this recent paradigm are radically different from those of the traditional nursing home. Dementia Care and Assisted Living Cottages - Located next to the nursing facility are two individual cottages (24 beds) which specialize in assisted living dementia care as well as an additional high-acuity assisted living cottage (16 beds). In 2023, the cottages provided 10,132 days of care to 46 individuals. Retirement Services In 2021, residents living in our former HUD retirement facility were relocated to our new 56-unit low-income housing tax credit project or to other facilities on campus. The completion of the tax credit project provided a rejuvenated independent living space for our elders, while still giving them access to our activities program, pastoral care program, and nursing amenities if needed. We served 63 residents in our new facility in 2023.Other Facilities - The Crossings, a St. John's facility located in Laurel, Montana, includes a 12 unit assisted living dementia care cottage, 14 assisted living apartments, 24 independent living apartments and 4 townhomes. The Crossings served 75 individuals with 19,005 days of care provided in 2023. The Willows, a St. John's facility located in Red Lodge, MT has two connected assisted living cottages (24 beds total) and served 12 individuals with 1,934 days of care provided. The Willows facility was closed in August 2023.Medicaid Residents - St. John's provides services to all people in need including Medicaid residents. The cost of such care is much greater than the related reimbursement. In 2023, St. John's continued as one of the largest providers of Medicaid long-term care services in Yellowstone County, Montana providing 16,620 days of care to Medicaid residents. The gap between our cost to provide care to Medicaid recipients and the reimbursement we received in the nursing facility during 2023 is an estimated $2,700,000.Home & Community Based Services/Rural Outreach - Through our rehabilitation department, we served 48 patients. These patients were located at a hospital a distance of 50 miles from Billings. In addition, we contracted with our joint venture, Home Based Services Initiative, LLC to provide rehabilitation services for their homebound clients; in 2023, we served 1,366 clients.Center For Generations - We continue to provide child and infant daycare to our staff members and the community, many of whom cannot afford, nor have access to safe, quality childcare. St. John's Center for Generations is accredited which assures high quality early childhood developmental programs for the children we serve. In 2023, the Center for Generations served 53 children (28 community families and 25 staff families). The program helps create a nurturing environment through intergenerational activities for our seniors as well. During 2023, St. John's subsidized $217,000 of direct costs to operate the Center for Generations. St. John's United Family Services - With four offices throughout Montana, Family Services has been serving the people of need in Montana and Northern Wyoming as part of St. John's since 2010, "Joining Hearts in Hope". In 2023 Family Services was involved in bringing hope to the lives of 63 adoptive families. We assisted birth parents and related family members and had a role in the placement of 7 children in forever homes. In addition, Family Services worked with 22 adoptable children through the Wendy's Wonderful Kids program as well as 60 individuals in our professional counseling program. We also worked with 58 families within our C.A.R.E.S. program, which is a family-centered, strength-based, and community-driven model of care designed to promote child abuse prevention and family preservation, to divert entry into the juvenile justice system; and enable children with complex needs to remain at home and in their community. In 2023, St. John's subsidized $81,000 in direct costs to operate Family Services, which is offset in part by contributions made through the St. John's Foundation.Other Subsidies St. John's also provides college scholarships to many of our staff wishing to pursue an education in the healthcare and social work fields. Awarded college scholarships in 2023 were 6 students totaling $8,500. Our Pastoral Care staff administers an employee crisis fund providing cash and bill payment to employees for emergency needs - a total of 37,000 for 66 employees in 2023. Community Engagement - Other benefits St. John's supplies to the community include free programs (health fairs and seminars on aging issues), staff assistance to other 501(c) (3) organizations during normal work hours, free meeting space to other organizations within the community, clinical training of nurses and physician assistants, internships for other medical disciplines, as well as participation in the fund raisers of other community not-for-profits. The St. John's United 2023 Summer Concert Series hosted six free community concerts with close to 9,000 people in attendance. These concerts provide important community socialization for our residents as well as an opportunity to give back to the community. St. John's Lutheran Ministries, Inc. supports and encourages health care services by providing financial and managerial consulting assistance to affiliated not-for-profit organizations. We provide management services to Sapphire Lutheran Homes (Hamilton, Montana) as well as our joint ventures Missions United, Inc. (including Mission Ridge, Vista and the Wyndstone) and Home Based Services Initiative, LLC (home health and hospice).SummaryOperating St. John's Lutheran Ministries, Inc. contributes to the organization's exempt purpose in a manner designed to satisfy the primary needs of aged, handicapped, and disadvantaged persons, providing safe housing, health care, and financial security. The need for safe housing is satisfied as St. John's provides residential facilities that are specifically designed to meet the special needs of the elderly. The need for health care is satisfied as St. John's provides long-term health care and rehabilitation in an environment designed to maintain the physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of the residents. St. John's provides financial security by 1) maintaining, in the residence, any person who becomes unable to pay the standard charges and 2) provides its services at the lowest possible cost to remain a viable provider of services to the elderly in the community.While not an all-inclusive dollar amount of total community benefits provided and without an attempt to measure the high quality of services provided, over $3,062,000 of direct community benefit (as detailed in this report) was provided by St. John's to the communities we are privileged to serve.