A place of healing
The new rehab center will take a multi-disciplinary approach to physical, occupational and speech therapy. (Rendering provided by Pennybyrn)HIGH POINT — The Sisters of the Poor Servants of the Mother of God joyously turned up fertile red soil at the official groundbreaking ceremony for a new rehabilitation center Sept. 24 at Pennybyrn. The public event was kept at a modest attendance level due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
The state-of-the-art rehabilitation center will be named the Lillian Congdon Transitional Rehab Center, in memory of Earl Congdon’s late mother. Earl and Kitty Congdon, longtime supporters of Pennybyrn, provided a $3.5 million matching challenge gift to help meet the initial $7 million campaign goal.
The Lillian Congdon Transitional Rehab Center will have 24 resident rooms featuring the comfortable, home-like model for which Pennybyrn is well known. It will offer innovative accommodations for inpatient rehabilitative care, a service Pennybyrn has provided for the past several years.
Sister Lucy Hennessy, SMG, mission leader, greeted guests at the Sept. 24 celebration and paid tribute to the “pioneer sisters” who came to High Point from London over 70 years ago, purchasing the Penny House and converting it into a convent and a convalescent center with 22 beds.
“If we didn’t have COVID-19 to deal with, we would have many more people here,” Sister Lucy said in her welcoming remarks. “We chose this day for very significant reasons as our groundbreaking day. It has now been 150-plus years since the founding by Mother Magdalene Taylor, our foundress, and also the founding sisters with her, of our congregation, the Poor Servants of the Mother of God.”
Sister Lucy continued, “That year was 1869 – Sept. 24. These great women were filled with faith and a vision for the future. That vision which filled their lives to the fullest was to serve the needs of others, and in the process make life better for those they would serve.”
She explained that at their community’s founding, the sisters saw clearly the need to nurse the sick, educate the young, visit people at home and bring comfort to the dying. The religious community thrived throughout the late 19th century and 20th century – expanding all over England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Europe.
“Seven decades later, five SMG sisters from London arrived in the Triad and brought that vision of making life better for others with them. These faithful sisters did not see the future, they hardly thought about it. They were content to do what He wanted at the moment and leave all in His hands,” Sister Lucy noted.
“Today we have the great opportunity to, once again, make life better for others,” she said.
The rehabilitation center will take a multi-disciplinary approach to physical, occupational and speech therapy to help patients recover more quickly while also helping to prevent complications or relapses in healing.
The expansion will enable Pennybyrn to expand its therapy services to include outpatient therapy. The transitional rehabilitation program at Pennybyrn will be able to serve patients from throughout North Carolina, as well as other states.
Residents will receive expert care from a team of physicians, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech language pathologists. They will also enjoy access to Maryfield’s
Perpetual Adoration Chapel next door as well as other spiritual services.
“It is a place to come and heal,” said Vonda Hollingsworth, Pennybyrn’s vice president.
“Working strategically with our partners like High Point Medical Center, Cone Health, Novant and Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, we can ensure the full continuum of excellence of care from the event or circumstance that initiated the need for acute care, completing the path that circles back to the return to home. Not only can we provide a high quality of care, we can work together to shorten hospital stays and reduce readmissions – all while working as a team that supports the patient and their own personal goals.”
Pennybyrn’s expansion will also include 42 new independent living apartments. The spacious apartment homes will feature 11 different floor plans, ranging from a one-bedroom to a two-bedroom with den. All apartments will feature bright, open designs with abundant windows for natural light and a private patio or balcony.
Thomas Construction Group will serve as general contractor on the project.
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter. Annette K. Tenny, correspondent, contributed.
Pictured: Four Sisters of the Poor Servants of the Mother of God helped “turn the dirt” at a groundbreaking ceremony Sept. 24 for a new state-of-the-art Lillian Congdon Transitional Rehab Center at Pennybyrn in High Point. (SueAnn Howell | Catholic News Herald)
Did you know?
In the decades since its start in 1947, Pennybyrn has grown into a 71-acre continuing care retirement community with a range of care services. The facilities, which were entirely rebuilt in 2007, include a neighborhood of 49 independent living cottages, 131 independent living apartments, 24 assisted living and 24 memory support apartments, and a nursing care building.
The Sisters of the Poor Servants of the Mother of God continue in the tradition of their foundress, Frances Taylor, who took the name of Mother Magdalen, caring for their residents with the help and guidance of a board of directors and ambassador council comprised of community members.