Despite Gov. Ron DeSantis\u2019 veto of nearly $4 million that would have expanded the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) in Pinellas County, local leaders say seniors won\u2019t see an interruption in care.<\/p>\n
Among the governor\u2019s line-item vetoes in Florida\u2019s new budget was $3,939,123 earmarked to create 250 additional PACE enrollment slots in Pinellas County. While the funding appeared to signal a significant expansion of services for older adults, Dr. Nicholas Joseph, senior vice president of the Complete Care Division at Empath Life, said the veto will not affect the organization\u2019s ability to serve seniors; in fact, they have more capacity.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe veto of those slots has zero impact because we are able to manage the 250 that were vetoed,\u201d Joseph said. \u201cThere will be no impact to our Pinellas County seniors. We have a lot of space to add more people.\u201d<\/p>\n
The reassurance comes as Florida continues to grapple with the needs of one of the nation\u2019s oldest populations. Pinellas County is home to one of the state\u2019s largest concentrations of seniors, making access to long-term healthcare services an ongoing priority.<\/p>\n
Formerly known as Suncoast PACE, the organization is currently rebranding to Empath Life, a transition that will continue over the coming months. The program serves eligible seniors throughout Pinellas, Hillsborough and Manatee counties using a model of care that allows participants to remain in their homes while receiving comprehensive medical and supportive services.<\/p>\n
PACE, which stands for Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, is a Medicare and Medicaid program designed for adults age 55 and older who qualify for nursing home-level care but can safely continue living in the community. Instead of relying on multiple providers, participants receive coordinated care through one interdisciplinary team that can include physicians, nurses, therapists, social workers, pharmacists and other specialists.<\/p>\n
Services extend well beyond routine doctor\u2019s appointments. Participants receive primary and specialty medical care, prescription medications, rehabilitation services, transportation to appointments, home health services, adult day health care and other supports tailored to their individual needs.<\/p>\n
Joseph believes that team-based approach is what distinguishes PACE from traditional healthcare.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe beauty of PACE is it\u2019s a level of concierge care,\u201d he said. \u201cWhat they receive is solely based on their needs and goals.\u201d<\/p>\n
Unlike many healthcare programs that struggle with long waitlists, Joseph said Empath Life currently has capacity to serve more seniors in Pinellas County.<\/p>\n
Enrollment is still subject to approval through the state, a process that generally takes about 60 days to determine eligibility. But once approved, participants gain access to a coordinated system of care that often helps them avoid repeated hospital visits and delays or eliminates the need for assisted living or nursing home placement.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can stay at home instead of going to assisted living, and we give you everything medically necessary to age in your home without having to move,\u201d Joseph said. \u201cIf you are just scraping by, that\u2019s not a way to live for someone at that age.\u201d<\/p>\n
Joseph said he has spent his career working to expand PACE because of the difference it makes in patients\u2019 lives. He also credited the state for increasing its support of the program over the past decade, despite this year\u2019s veto of the Pinellas expansion funding.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe state has been very supportive of PACE and funded slots significantly,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s much better now than it was 10 years ago. I can\u2019t wait to see how much we can expand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beyond improving quality of life, Joseph said the model also reduces costly hospitalizations.<\/p>\n
Many participants enter the program after frequent trips to emergency rooms or repeated hospital admissions because chronic health conditions are not being effectively managed. Under PACE\u2019s coordinated approach, those numbers often decline dramatically.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany patients who have to visit the hospital numerous times monthly only have to go once or twice a year under PACE,\u201d Joseph said.<\/p>\n
While the governor\u2019s veto eliminated funding for an additional 250 authorized enrollment slots, Joseph emphasized that Empath Life\u2019s current capacity means the decision will not reduce services or prevent eligible seniors from receiving care today.<\/p>\n
For families navigating the challenges of aging loved ones, he hopes the takeaway is simple: comprehensive care remains available.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe veto of those slots has zero impact,\u201d Joseph said. \u201cThere will be no impact to our Pinellas County seniors.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although the budget decision removed funding intended for future expansion, Empath Life continues to enroll eligible participants and sees room for future growth. For Joseph, the organization\u2019s mission remains unchanged \u2014 helping older adults age safely, independently and with dignity in the place most want to be: home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Despite Gov. Ron DeSantis\u2019 veto of nearly $4 million that would have expanded the Program of All-Inclusive Care…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":326179,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[202,204,203,199,201,200],"class_list":["post-326178","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/326178","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=326178"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/326178\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/326179"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=326178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=326178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=326178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}