Help Us Meet the Methow’s Growing Long-Term Care Needs
Jamie’s Place is a home with a heart, in a community with a heart
The Methow Valley is a place of extraordinary natural beauty – with an extraordinarily caring community.
The people who love and contribute to this place deserve to be able to age in it with dignity and support. That’s you, and your loved ones, and your neighbors. It’s all of us. It’s more of us every year. Jamie’s Place is expanding to achieve our vision of meeting the long-term care needs of all Methow Valley elders and preparing the next generation of caregivers. Our plan includes a new facility for leading-edge elder care, resolving the shortage of caregivers and a commitment to caring for our most vulnerable. Development is advancing quickly.
We need your help.
What We Need, and When
Our Vision is to:
• Double our capacity by building a new, high-quality home for 24 elders
• Create valued jobs for 30 caregivers
• Establish a training hub to meet the demand for valley-wide care
• Initiate an endowment to ensure sustainable support for financially vulnerable elders
Generous donors have already pledged $16 million toward our $24 million budget.
We must raise $8 million more over the next three years to achieve our vision. Our promise: We will always reserve 25% of our space for elders who lack the resources to afford our care.
The Case for Expansion - Why?
People needing care are forced to leave the Valley
Jamie’s Place’s waiting list typically contains 25 individuals seeking care, causing many who need care to move to other facilities outside of the Valley, away from friends and family.
Average wait time prior to acceptance is three years.
The elderly population of the Methow Valley is growing rapidly
Percentage of people over age 65 in the Methow Valley is 32% (1,700 residents,) growing at 4 times the rate of the general population. Expected to be 38% by 2035.
30% of people older than 65 in the Methow Valley lack the financial resources needed for quality, long term care (and comprise 50% of the Jamie’s Place waitlist).
By 2030, the Valley will need a workforce to care for approximately 275 seniors who are either aging in place or need facility-based care.
Current facilities are not sustainable for future needs
Elders are living at home longer, which leads to higher level of care needs at Jamie’s Place.
Constructed in 2007 and 2009, the existing two homes are inadequate to provide acute care, to meet greater physical-care needs safely and to accommodate new technologies.
Two recent failures of the emergency sprinkler system resulted in a months-long evacuation and repairs.
More revenue and better cost efficiencies create a strong, resilient business model.
Project Elements
• Three new solar-powered residential-style homes for 8 residents each (24 total) on 2+ acres in Twisp
• Designed according to national standards for intentional and intimate (non-institutional) care – sunlight, hearth, great room, open kitchens, homey
• Ample room sizes, rooms for couples, ADA compliant with enhanced safety equipment and enhanced line of sight
• Nursing and physical therapy facilities to deliver a broad spectrum of care including low-to-high physical needs to memory care living (differentiated care in each of the three buildings)
• Space and equipment for Valley-wide care-giver training and development
• Enhanced interior spaces for meaningful elder engagement, community events, multi-purpose caregiver space and more storage; each building is connected through interior walk-ways
• Expanded outdoor spaces within walking distance to Twisp town center and community life, Methow River, trails and transportation
Is the Expansion Sustainable?
JP expansion plans include changes that lead to improved revenue and cost efficiencies.
•Doubling capacity strengthens the financial model with more revenue, which in turn leads to better wages, health insurance and other benefits for more employees (sustained caregiver base)
•Doubling capacity with only a 30% increase in footprint increases labor and equipment cost efficiencies
•Increasing from 6 to 8 residents per house lowers operating costs per resident
•Solar and new construction efficiencies will lower operations and maintenance costs.
•Permanent endowment will cover the cost of care for vulnerable residents who cannot afford care at Jamie’s Place, necessary for the financial viability of the entire facility
Cherishing our Elders Enriches our Whole CommUNITY
Elders
People age 50+ are beginning to consider their own long-term care goals, desires and needs. Knowing that quality, affordable care exists in the Methow Valley encourages long term commitment to Valley life, with the knowledge that people can grow old here while continuing to live meaningful lives. They can maintain friend, family and community connections through the very end of their days.
Families
Families benefit when their loved ones are able to stay close to home with supportive, professional care. They can visit their loved ones easily, bring them into their homes for holidays and any occasion, share daily life with them and extend their time with them. They can continue to work knowing their loved ones are receiving the highest quality care possible, right here at home. Each resident has an average of eight family members in the Valley. With 24 residents at Jamie’s Place, that means nearly 200 people will directly benefit from the expansion!
“The True Measure of Any Society can be Found in how it Treats its Most Vulnerable Members.”
The Most Vulnerable
High-quality elder care is very expensive. Many long-time Valley residents have spent their lives working, growing families and contributing to our community. Yet many lack the resources to sustain the last years of their lives in a healthy, safe environment, causing many to live in unsafe living conditions without adequate care at the end of their days. Everyone deserves to live the last chapter of their lives feeling cared for and respected, regardless of their financial resources.
Aging at Home Population
Offering a community space for enhanced caregiver training and development at Jamie’s Place enriches the pool of caregivers available to care for elders aging at home.
Caregivers
Like many rural areas, the Methow Valley has a caregiver workforce crisis. By 2030, the valley will need a workforce to care for an estimated 275 seniors who are either aging in place or need facility-based care. Expanding Jamie’s Place enhances existing programs to better educate and train local high school, vocational, community college and career-transitioning students, elevates the status of the caregiver profession and facilitates multi-generational connections between young adults and elders. We expect to train at least 12 caregivers each year in our new facility, offering a hub for well-paying, well-trained, highly respected caregiver jobs and creating a career path for advancement in the medical industry in the Methow Valley. Partnering with local housing experts to ensure affordable housing for caregivers ensures that caregivers can find community and thrive in the Methow.
The Local Economy
With a growing, aging population, health care is an economic opportunity for our valley. Following the expansion, Jamie’s Place will spend most of its $1.4 million operating budget locally every year, fueling our economy. As an employer of nearly 30 people, we will stimulate economic development that will benefit the entire valley and county. We expect 80% of the $20 million in construction costs to be spent in the Methow Valley, supporting local businesses. Further, Jamie’s Place’s quality care enables families to remain in the workforce when they would otherwise have to care for loved ones.
Elders living their best lives
Campaign phases
Progress so far
Updated January 2025
Common Q & A
Why Twisp?
The Twisp campus is close to town, river, parks, walking paths and transportation networks, placing elders in the middle of community. The Twisp site is flat easy to build on, making it a lower-cost construction site. We spent two years considering many options for Winthrop expansion and found nothing viable.
What’s this about stonefly?
Stonefly is a Methow organization that offers the ability for privately developed independent-living sites for older people looking to “downsize.” It is independent of Jamie’s Place but will provide proximity for continuum of care.
What’s happening to the Winthrop property?
A thorough civic, financial and operational analysis will be conducted to determine the optimal use of the two Winthrop buildings.
How will caregivers be recruited, trained, and housed?
Through grants funded by the Department of Health (DOH) and Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), caregivers in our community are provided local training for Home Care Aide (HCA) and Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) licensure. Additionally, the Jamie’s Place expansion will provide dedicated space and equipment for caregiver training and development in the future, leading to career paths in the healthcare field (HR, Administration, Management, Nursing). A dedicated training space will streamline the training we offer. Training will be an ongoing practice and anchor strategy.
Jamie’s Place will recruit from the local high school and nearby community colleges. We are also looking at longer-term recruitment strategies, potentially in overseas markets. Doubling the capacity of our homes will enable Jamie’s Place to pay higher wages and offer health insurance, more paid time off, and other benefits to caregivers.
Caregiver housing will be implemented in three phases. 1) short term, crisis housing: two tiny houses in Winthrop; 2) interim: Jamie’s Place will consider its current Winthrop location as a potential for caregiver interim housing (it’s one of several options being considered); 3) long term: Jamie’s Place is actively partnering with other local organizations to expand access to affordable housing for caregivers. We are working with the towns and Methow Housing Trust (MHT) to create solutions.
Your Neighbors, Committed to Community Care
Jamie’s Place Administrative Staff
Rana Clarke, Executive Director
Jessica Kulsrud, Associate Director
Jamie’s Place Board Members
Melinda Pruett Jones, Chair
Patty Spencer, Co- Chair, Co- Vice Chair
Leslie Tregillus, Co- Chair, Co- Vice Chair
Sharmon Figenshaw, Secretary
Peggy Porter, MD
Ali Becker
Design Build Committee
Gary Galeucia
Melinda Pruett-Jones
Rana Clarke
Jessica Kulsrud
Jay Neal
Expansion Campaign Steering Committee
Jill Sheley, Director
Monica Galeucia
Rana Clarke
Betsy Cushman
Patty Spencer
Steve Devin
Joan Wellman
Mary Johnston
Peggy Porter
Jane Hill
Heidi de Laubenfels
Jane Gilbertsen
Tambra Zimmerman
Laura Ruud