CenterLight Healthcare PACE Celebrates Carnival in Bushwick
Brooklyn, NY – August 1, 2024 – CenterLight Healthcare’s Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) celebrated a Caribbean Carnival at their Bushwick PACE Center for the soft opening of the site. The event was filled with colorful feathers, embellished masks and headpieces, music, food, dance, and community spirit.
CenterLight PACE participants started their day crafting their own traditional headpieces with beads and feathers before being moved to their feet with the rhythm of the drum and a traditional Samba dancer.
Over fifty community members, providers, and staff joined in the festivities, including NYC Councilwoman Mercedes Narcisse, who, along with her staff, took the opportunity to learn more about PACE.
The event featured a ribbon-cutting ceremony where CenterLight PACE President and Chief Executive Officer Tara Buonocore-Rut expressed her enthusiasm and goals for CenterLight. “PACE is a model of care that everyone should have access to. We are on that journey to expand access to PACE and make sure that people have access to social activities and all their healthcare needs all under one roof.”Echoing this sentiment, Councilwoman Mercedes Narcisse added, “We need this kind of model in New York City… We cannot forget those that invested their time and paved the way for us.”
Virgilio Nieves, a Bushwick resident and CenterLight Participant, is excited to be able to enjoy the PACE services close to home at the Bushwick PACE Center. Mr. Nieves lost his vision and upon joining CenterLight seven years ago he says, “They became my eyes. They made my life easy.” Participants like Mr. Nieves reaffirm the importance of supporting programs like PACE.
The Caribbean Carnival was more than a celebration of music, dance, and entertainment. Events like this foster social interaction and camaraderie among participants and serve as a reminder of the community spirit and the essential services that CenterLight Healthcare provides.
About CenterLight Healthcare:
CenterLight Healthcare PACE, a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, serves adults 55+ throughout New York City, Westchester, Nassau, and Western Suffolk Counties. Designed for those with Medicare and/or Medicaid, the program empowers older adults to continue to live independently at home and in their communities. CenterLight’s PACE program is one of the largest nonprofit PACE programs in the country and operates 11 PACE centers and one Alternative Care Setting (ACS) where participants can receive on-site socialization, social and personal care services, therapeutic recreation, meals, and transportation. Our PACE centers also offer medical services, rehabilitation, prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications to thousands of New Yorkers by an interdisciplinary team (IDT) of doctors, nurses, physical therapists, nutritionists, recreational therapists, and other professionals who work together to provide care as unique as the diverse participants enrolled in the plan. Learn more at www.CenterLightHealthcare.org.
Media contact:
Ann Healey, Marketing & Brand Manager
marketingcommunication@centerlight.org I 347-594-4412