Community Care’s tradition of service to older adults in religious orders

Community Care enjoys a unique bond with three religious orders; the School Sisters of St. Francis, the School Sisters of Notre Dame and the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi.

Community Care’s headquarters on Layton Boulevard in Milwaukee, just down the street from the famous Milwaukee “Domes,” is located on what had once been abundant celery fields tended by the School Sisters of St. Francis. We also operate an adult day health center there, in a complex owned and operated by the sisters. A mutually beneficial partnership has developed between Community Care and the sisters. In 1994, about 500 nuns of the School Sisters of St. Francis lived in a convent located on what is now South Layton Boulevard. But dwindling number of sisters and changing neighborhood demographics led the sisters to renovate their motherhouse to share their space with non-profit tenants. At the same time, Community Care was looking for a new site for its PACE Program that was located in the basement of the Johnston Community Health Clinic nearby. We became a tenant and share space with the sisters in our Layton facility. We also share with the sisters a sense of mission to serve the needs of the people in our community.

In 2005, 29 nuns from the School Sisters of Notre Dame were relocated from a nursing home in Milwaukee back to their motherhouse in Elm Grove. Since this time, the Sisters have thrived being back home in their community, receiving the healthcare that they need to live a quality life.

Also in 2005 we began a partnership with the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi. With Community Care available to meet their long-term care needs these nuns avoid going into a nursing home and are able to remain part of the community they have always known. All of the sisters we serve belong to the PACE Program. We welcome the opportunity to serve all of these sisters.