Orange Grove Center opens new intermediate care facilities

The Orange Grove Center will celebrate the opening of two new intermediate care facilities on Mountain Creek Road with an open house tonight from 5 to 7 p.m. 

The new additions bring the total number of intermediate care homes that Orange Grove operates in the area to 18. These homes serve individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and/or complex medical needs.

Each new home will house four residents and a live-in house manager. 

Many of the individuals who reside in the homes have very limited mobility, according to Bev Witt, Orange Grove’s director of the ICF Program. She said that the homes feature state-of-the-art equipment that allows the residents full access to the amenities the homes offer, while also ensuring staff safety.

“All the people we worked with to build these homes were true partners in the effort and committed to providing the best living situation we can for these individuals,” Witt said in a prepared statement.

The Mountain Creek homes were funded in part by HOMEAgain Grants, which are administered by Chattanooga’s Office of Neighborhood Services and Community Development. TWH Architects, Helton Construction and First Tennessee Bank, all of whom worked with Orange Grove on similar projects on Pinewood Drive and Chandler Avenue, were also partners in the project.

The Alpha Beta Chapter of Epsilon Sigma Alpha created a homelike atmosphere in the facilities, Orange Grove officials said. The sorority purchased all interior decorations for the homes as well as everything needed for the kitchens. Sorority volunteers spent many hours shopping for and decorating the homes.

“When we decorate these homes, our top priority is to create a comfortable, welcoming environment for the residents and the people who support them,” Wanda Collins, co-president of the local chapter, said in a prepared statement. 

For more information, call 423-308-1160.