Jeff Meaden, executive director of PACE Northeast Michigan, told the Alpena City Council on July 7 that the organization is converting a former Peebles department store into a PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) center and expects to begin enrolling participants November 1, 2025, if Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) grants final approval. “We will be an approved program and enrolling into this program October 2025, serving participants 11/01/2025,” Meaden said, noting CMS has a 90-day review window.

Meaden described PACE as a senior-centered, comprehensive care model covering primary medical care, specialty care (optometry, dentistry, audiology), on-site pharmacy, rehabilitation services, and in-home supports such as wound care and medication management. He said transportation is included: “When our participants need to go from their home to our day center or from their home to a specialist appointment ... we will be providing all those transportation services.”

The program’s eligibility is age 55 and older, residence within the certified service area and a clinical determination that participants meet nursing-home level of care without PACE supports. Meaden said most PACE participants nationwide have both Medicare and Medicaid and incur no out-of-pocket costs for covered services; those not eligible for Medicaid may pay privately for services.

Meaden said PACE Northeast Michigan is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation with two sponsoring organizations: Presbyterian Villages of Michigan and the Northeast Michigan Community Service Agency (NEMSCA). He said the building has a certificate of occupancy, passed state inspections, and will include six exam rooms, on-site pharmacy, therapy spaces, a salon, commercial laundry for participant use and an outdoor ADA-accessible area. Dr. John McMaster of Alcona Health Center is listed as the program medical director.

Meaden said the program’s initial enrollment cap is 150 participants; he expects to petition the state to increase that cap later based on center size and performance. He said PACE had applied through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and that the application now sits with CMS. “They have 90 days to review our application and offer comment,” he said, adding potential contingencies could delay the timeline.

Council members asked about partnerships with local senior meal programs and contracting for transportation. Meaden said PACE will contract where appropriate and intends two-way referral relationships with area senior centers and providers. He invited council and the public to tours and community open houses in August.

No council motion or formal vote was taken; the presentation was informational.