Menno Haven Rehabilitation Center Awarded WELL Certified GOLD by IWBI
First Skilled Nursing Project Worldwide to Receive this Certification
(CHAMBERSBURG, PA AND OMAHA, NE) – We are excited to announce that the Menno Haven Rehabilitation Center has been officially WELL Certified to the Gold level by The International WELL Building Institute. This prestigious certification is awarded to projects built to improve health and well-being for everyone that experiences the building.
Menno Haven CEO Hugh Davis says, “I am proud to reveal that our project is the first skilled nursing project worldwide to receive this certification. From the moment you enter the front door you will see this place is different. We incorporated research-based elements intended to promote the physical, emotional, and spiritual health of guests and team members with goal of achieving the WELL Certification.”
The Rehabilitation Center is leading the way for the future of senior living across the country through a re-thinking of long-term care and short-term rehabilitation. Focusing on a healthy lifestyle is a shift in the way we have traditionally approached senior living, providing opportunities for seniors to maintain higher qualities of life while living longer. Through this WELL-certification, Menno Haven is raising the wellness consciousness of the community and industry. With the development of their wellness-focused rehabilitation center, they are providing resources for seniors navigating their own healthcare and getting them engaged in healthy lifestyles.
Davis describes the new Rehabilitation Center as “unlike any in the region.” “This building has allowed us to better serve individuals who need short-term care. Whether that be someone recovering from surgery, an illness, or an accident, they will recover here and then return home.”
The WELL Building Standard is a performance-based system combining best practices in design and construction with evidence-based scientific research including measuring, certifying, and monitoring features of the building that impact human health and wellbeing. It took seven years of rigorous research and development working with leading physicians, scientists, and industry professionals for this standard to become established. The Rehabilitation Center earned the first in the world distinction based on seven categories of building performance — Air, Water, Light, Nourishment, Fitness, Comfort, and Mind — achieving a Gold level rating.
RDG Partner Jay Weingarten, AIA, WELL AP, discusses the importance of implementing WELL Building Standards with their projects stating, “A focus on promoting optimum health in the projects we design, in our office practices, and in our individual lifestyles is central to RDG’s culture. It has been exciting to bring our passion and the depth of research behind the WELL Building Standard to life within a skilled nursing environment to serve Menno Haven’s mission of nurturing the human spirit. We can all benefit from a commitment to our own health and the health of our communities similar to that which Menno Haven is demonstrating here.”
Project features helping achieve WELL Certified Gold:
- MERV 13 media filters, carbon filtration, and UV lamps throughout HVAC system
- Elimination of pesticide and herbicide use on plants
- Building water filters to ensure the highest quality drinking water
- Light system designed to match circadian rhythms
- Health and Wellness library prominently located throughout the building
- Staff fitness programs
- Focus on reducing internally generated noise
- Abundant natural light
Deanna Beins, Administrator of the Rehabilitation Center says, “We put a lot of thought into the design to provide the best recovery atmosphere possible. It has been great to see how our guests have benefited from our planning efforts.”
Several years ago, Menno Haven set out to reposition the existing 50-year-old community to meet the demands of coming generations and collaborated with RDG Planning & Design on a master plan. The Rehabilitation Center is part of Menno Haven’s 5-year strategic plan known as Project GENESIS which will replace the original 1964 nursing home, and add a Resident Life Center, Memory Care Houses, and new independent living cottages. The Rehabilitation Center is the first building within Project Genesis to be completed; all other portions of Project Genesis are currently under construction.
“As architects, interior designers, planners, and landscape architects with a deep passion for the environments where seniors live and recuperate, we are encouraged by Menno Haven’s drive to meet the needs of the next generation of seniors. The future of this industry is dependent on healthy environments created through a highly collaborative design process involving experts who think beyond the traditional building sciences. We believe that WELL is one of those key experts with whom we collaborate.” – Mitch Elliott, AIA – Principal, RDG
Learn more about the Rehabilitation Center at www.mennohaven.org/rehab.
Learn more about the WELL Building Standard at www.wellcertified.com.