Lighthouse Ready to Start Construction

The Lighthouse Nursing Home is preparing to break ground next week on a $5 million renovation project that will increase the numbers of single rooms and bring in a 2,700 sq. ft. rehabilitation gym.

The state Department of Public Health recently gave approval to the home, which also gave it the green light to begin construction.

A building permit from the City has already been secured.

The groundbreaking ceremony will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 22, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the Proctor Avenue facility.

The centerpiece of the project will be the new gym, slated to be located on the third floor with panoramic view and with all the latest equipment. One piece of equipment included will be a ‘half-car,’ which is a replica of the front of a car and is used so that patients can practice entering and exiting an automobile while rehabilitating.

The state-of-the-art gym will also have uneven surface areas with strips of brick, concrete, paving stone and a real curb so patients can practice on less ideal surfaces while rehabilitating. Both of these pieces of equipment, and many more in the new gym, will help patients to recover and be ready to navigate outside of the facility when they return to a home setting.

The project is also slated to include 12 single rooms with amenities for short-term rehab, screened porches on all three floors and a movie theatre.

Michele Figurcia was just recently made the administrator at Lighthouse in August, and she brings 28 years of experience in the skilled nursing industry.

“We are excited to begin this long awaited project,” she said. “These renovations will provide our patients with the state of the art equipment and amenities to assist with returning short term rehab patients successfully to their homes as well as modernize the long-term patients home with larger dining and activity space. Patients will also be able to access the outdoor screened porches year round. I am privileged and blessed to be a part of this exciting project at Lighthouse.”