Last month, I attended the funeral service for May Lee, a centenarian who passed away at age 102. She was the State of California’s longest-serving employee – 79 years! And up until last year, May was working as a retired annuitant. She was my mentor early in my career (in the mid 1980s) with the State of California. May showed me how to review financial statements, how a budget is created, and how to write and justify funding requests. You could ask her anything and she could cite Government Code by memory. I owe my state career to May, along with the many, many others she took under her tutelage to help understand accounting and budgeting.
As a retired annuitant, May worked at the Department of General Services (DGS) and would drive to work taking the surface streets from her home on 35th Avenue (yes, May still had her driver’s license). Once she got to the parking garage at DGS, she would walk around the parking garage with her walker to exercise and stay fit. Then May would go into the office, work, and engage with the staff. Driving, exercising, and socializing is how she lived to the age of 102. She knew that staying active, physically and mentally, along with eating well was how to age well. May, along with the participants of ACC’s Lifelong Learning and Wellness Program, are the epitome of how to stay fit and active.
ACC will be celebrating the centenarians in our community at the ACC Ohana Walk Picnic on September 16. We had a similar event in 2019, where 17 centenarians and their (large) families turned out for a fundraiser hosted by the ACC Care Center. Their stories were amazing. Everyone was uplifted by their presence. So, if you know any centenarians that would like to participate, visit accsv.org/ohana2023 to register.
In this issue of ACC News, Jeri Shikuma, ACC’s Home and Community Based Program Administrator, has written an insightful article about the “social determinants of health” (SDOH) and how our health and well-being are determined by factors that have very little to do with healthcare. While ACC does provide healthcare, so much of what we do is focused on non-medical interventions that affect health outcomes. This includes transportation, social services, employment training, lifelong learning, care coordination, food security, and social activities…lots of them. As part of the ACC wellness initiative, we are meeting with health plans to explore partnerships that will include ACC’s services as a benefit to their members. At the same time, ACC is winning more grants to fund our SDOH work. This, along with the feedback from health plans, is a clear indication of where mindsets and budgets are shifting.
I am happy to announce that Doug Hawkins is the new Administrator for the ACC Care Center. Doug has been quite successful as an administrator, most recently at Alderson Convalescent Hospital in Woodland. While there, he grew this facility to a Five Star rating, the same as he had with the facility he ran prior to Alderson.
Doug likes to say he grew up in skilled nursing as it was often his daycare as a child! His father is a registered nurse and a skilled nursing facility administrator. His mother is also a nurse, but she helps those at the other end of the spectrum as a Maternity Nurse. Doug’s wife is a nurse and works in a skilled facility; his sister is also a nurse and skilled nursing home administrator. It is obvious the love for this industry runs deep in his family.
Doug worked his way up in this industry and has done almost every job there is in a nursing home, caregiving, maintenance, dining….you name it! He decided he loved being around residents; thus, he returned to school and got his BS in Health Care Administration and became a nursing home administrator. Join me in welcoming Doug to ACC!
Assisted living and independent living at ACC Greenhaven Terrace are completely full. There is even a waiting list for assisted living, which we have not seen since before the pandemic. Thanks to referrals from the community, ACC Maple Tree Village is 82% occupied, which is ahead of schedule for this year. So keep sending your friends and family our way.
ACC’s Big Day of Giving was a resounding success. The Big Day of Community on April 22, a lead up to the Big Day of Giving, attracted more than 1,000 people to the ACC campus. The Big Day of Giving Telethon on May 3rd and 4th raised $360,466. It was exciting to see so many new people and organizations participating, presenting, and performing at these events – all for ACC. I want to say thank you to all the pickleball players and golfers who participated in our tournaments and made donations. We are grateful for everyone’s support.
ACC Rides, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, is being used in new and useful ways. The Buddhist Church of Sacramento has contracted with Rides to provide transportation twice a month for Maple Tree Village and Greenhaven Terrace residents to its Wednesday service. The Buddhist Church of Sacramento reached out to ACC as they were aware many of our residents were watching the Sunday service on Zoom during the pandemic . We knew it would be great for the residents to attend in person.
Anyone can meet at either Greenhaven Terrace or Maple Tree Village and join the residents on the first and third Wednesday of each month for the morning service. Contact ACC Rides if you are interested. After the service, which is led by Reverend Matt Hamasaki, the participants enjoy a social hour with snacks provided. We thank Sharon Ito of the Buddhist Church of Sacramento for reaching out and arranging this.
ACC Rides is also providing transportation for a series of field trips sponsored by Alignment Health, a Medicare Advantage plan. Last month, 14 participants visited the California State Railroad Museum. Vicki Beaton, a certified docent for the Museum and a resident at ACC Greenhaven Terrace, was their tour guide. They had a great time. There are eight more field trips planned this year. Anyone can sign up at accsv.org/classes.
On June 23rd, I attended the retirement party for Sumintra Devi, who retired from the Care Center after 24 years and three months as a dedicated housekeeper. The Care Center was Sumintra’s first job when she moved to California from Fiji. She took English language classes offered by ACC, gained confidence, and always went above and beyond in her job. The retirement party, attended by her family, was a surprise and Sumintra was genuinely surprised and touched by all the well wishes. It’s staff like Sumintra that epitomize the community of caring that is ACC. We wish Sumintra all the best in her retirement. Congratulations, Sumintra!
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