BY DR. BARBARA J. MCLEAN-SMITH, TIMES CONTRIBUTING WRITER
ORLANDO – The Guardian Care Nursing and Rehabilitation Center is a premier nursing facility, recognized in the community for its exemplary service and as a steadfast pillar of the African American community. Today, it faces significant challenges that call for the support of those it has served over the years. Guardian Care has faced increasing financial and operational challenges over the past few years, beginning during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic created a unique financial strain due to higher staffing costs, infection control needs, and additional operational encounters. We need your support as we strive to keep this iconic institution viable.
According to archives, Guardian Care Nursing and Rehabilitation Center’s history in the Washington Shores area began during segregation as an acute hospital for Orlando’s Black community. The August 31, 1958, evening edition of The Orlando Star newspaper, announced the opening of the first Negro Hospital in Orlando, The Dr. P. Phillips Memorial Hospital.
The hospital was built on land donated by the late Dr. P. Phillips, a well-known and respected Orlando Citrus pioneer and philanthropist. The value of the land was $250,000. The Dr. P. Phillips Memorial Hospital was built for $450,000. It had 57- beds with plans to grow to a 150-bed facility. The hospital was planted in the Negro Division of the Florida Sanitarium and Hospital, under the auspices of the Seventh-day Adventist. It quickly became an important community healthcare asset because “Negroes” no longer had to be treated poorly in the basements of local hospitals.
After five years of serving indigent patients who could not afford their medical care, the Civic Advisory Council of Florida Sanitarium and Hospital recommended the closing of Dr. P. Phillips Memorial Hospital to the hospital’s governing board. The hospital had been providing free services to people who needed medical care but could not afford it, resulting in an operating deficit of $240,000.
Concurrently, new national Civil Rights laws opened the doors of primary hospitals to people of color. Thus, the patient count for the Dr. P. Phillips hospital had declined.
In 1964, Dr. P. Phillips Memorial Hospital transitioned to a nursing-convalescent home under the ownership of the South Atlantic Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist until 1968. At this point, Guardian Care, Inc., a 501 © (3) corporation, was formed to continue caring for the community’s long-term nursing and rehabilitation needs. The name of the facility changed to Guardian Care Convalescent Center.
There was a point when the facility faced financial difficulties. Several prominent businessmen – Dr. J. Mark Cox, Charles Hawkins, Herndon Harrison, Esq., James Collier, Esq., and Dr. Alfred Bookhardt pledged the value of their homes and businesses to keep the doors open. These members of the Negro community were determined to preserve this vital community asset.
Dr. Calvin Collins, Jr., a local physician, along with other community businessmen became a benefactor of Guardian Care. Dr. Collins worked with Noel Bridgett, the Administrator of Guardian Care. After another financial crisis arose and the State of Florida threatened to close the facility, these two men led a community fundraising effort to save, the then, Guardian Care Convalescent Center. Dr. Calvin Collins, Jr., still encourages others to assist Guardian Care with financial and operational support.
Local philanthropic organizations like the Edyth Bush Foundation, the United Way, the Magruder Foundation, the Harry P. Leu Foundation, the City of Orlando, Orange County, and many individuals contributed to the stabilization of Guardian Care.
In 1972, Guardian Care was financially sound. The Board of Directors with Dr. Alzo Reddick, serving as Board Chairman, decided to diversify its income. During the period from 1980 through 1995, Guardian Care earned the State of Florida’s superior rating. The superior rating system was changed in 1996 to a Gold Seal system.
In 2003, the Guardian Care Board of Directors hired Synergy Health Care Services, a professional nursing home management company to oversee the daily operations of the facility. Simultaneously, the facility began operating as Guardian Care Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. The facility is now self-managed. The facility has a Board of Directors composed of a group of Civic-minded individuals from the local community, and an Executive Director, Mrs. Eloise Abrahams, RN, LNHA with over 30 years of experience managing healthcare facilities for seniors. Mrs. Abrahams is responsible for the facility operations and reports to the Board of Directors.
Guardian Care Nursing and Rehabilitation Center needs community support to sustain itself. Today’s economy and other key factors have led to financial and operational difficulties. Long-term sustainability will require better Medicaid reimbursement rates, a restructured workforce model that includes better pay and retention incentives for staff, the broader community, and government support to address the increasing costs of care, and recurring sponsorship programs to help fund the facility, a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization.
The financial strain at Guardian Care largely stems from the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. With a significant loss of staff due to safety concerns and the growing demand for higher wages by agency healthcare workers, operational costs ballooned. The high expenses associated with staffing, increased costs in food and supplies, infection control, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and COVID testing have further strained the facility’s resources. Despite being a not-for-profit entity, Guardian Care has faced obstacles in meeting the rising payroll costs, with labor expenses now accounting for more than half of the facility’s reimbursement. This situation has compounded the already challenging financial reality of providing care under Medicaid, which is insufficient, to cover the cost of services.
Immediate needs include financial assistance for operational expenses, securing stable, well-trained staffing by increasing Medicaid rates to align with the increasing mandates by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for staffing and related expenses, and community support to bridge gaps in Medicaid reimbursement rates.
We need financial support from churches, non-profits, advocacy groups, and the community. The community can play a critical role by advocating for increased Medicaid funding, donating resources, volunteering, and providing emotional and practical support for residents. Churches and non-profits can assist with both direct financial contributions and in-kind donations. Currently, Guardian Care can serve approximately 99 residents, most of whom are long-term residents who rely on Medicaid funding for their care long-term care. We need our local churches and other community groups to assist with the dire challenges Guardian Care faces in keeping and maintaining services available to our community’s frail and indigent residents.
New Covenant Baptist Church of Orlando, under the leadership of Senior Pastor and Lead Servant, The Reverend, Dr. Leroy Rose, III, has been at the vanguard of support. Dr. Rose encourages others to support Guardian Care with a direct quote: “What a joy it is to support this community pillar that has for so long supported the families of our church and community. My sincere prayer is that other churches and organizations will facilitate campaigns where their members can do the same. I’m certain that every small effort and extension of generosity will yield major dividends of divine blessings”.
If Guardian Care were to close, the immediate concern would be the displacement of our residents, many of whom are long-term care patients reliant on Medicaid. Beyond the logistical challenge of finding beds at other already full local facilities, the loss of Guardian Care would be felt deeply in our African American community. Guardian Care was founded in 1958 as a hospital to provide healthcare to Black individuals during segregation when they were often relegated to receiving care in the basements of local hospitals. Guardian Care has long been a cornerstone for the health and well-being of our community. Not only does it serve as a skilled nursing facility; it is a vital community hub, offering social, emotional, and cultural support to residents and their families. Closing this facility would erase a significant piece of local history and disrupt the essential services it provides for an underserved population.
For more information on how you may help, please contact: Mrs. Eloise Abrahams, Executive Director, Guardian Care Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, 350 South John Young Parkway, Orlando, FL 32805 Phone (407) 295-5371 or email [email protected]
