“We’re a five-star facility. That means we give five-star quality care, we have five stars in our health inspections and we also have a five-star staffing rating, which is amazing in this day and age for health care facilities,” Turner said. “I’m very proud of this team for giving the excellent care and doing an awesome job, and now to build on that, we will have a five-star facility in the look that matches the care we already provide.”
Tom Fisher, a resident of the facility since 2020, said when he and his wife, who passed recently, needed to move from their Cambridge, Ohio home, the Springfield center was a no brainer. He said he has never once regretted his decision.
Fisher, who has been a freemason for 47 years, said assisted living is “one of the weakest links” and he is excited to see it improved.
“I think this facility is going to be a tremendous asset to the Springfield Masonic Community, and I think the Masons of Ohio are going to welcome it with open arms as they reinforce the idea that they continue to be on the leading edge of providing relief to worthy, distressed, master masons or widows and orphans and the expanded community,” Fisher said. “I just can’t contemplate how many people are going to be able to take advantage of these expanded and new facilities.”
The expansion will include a 72-bed skilled nursing facility and 104 new assisted living units, U.S. Congressman Mike Turner shared in a letter read by Deputy District Director Gene Saunders, who is a freemason. Memory care services will also be expanded.
“I understand how important it is that senior living communities offer our elderly citizens a safe haven where they can age with dignity in a place that feels like home. The expansion of this facility will make certain that masons, their families and members of the surrounding community are afforded the ability to do so in residences equipped with modern amenities and easy access to the care and services they need,” Turner wrote.
The Springfield Masonic Community, part of the Ohio Masonic Communities, is a retirement and assisted living community spanning more than 250 acres. The castle on a hill is the cornerstone of the facility, which opened in 1895, said Ohio Masonic Home CEO Scott Buchanan.
Freemasonry is a fraternal organization that “unites men of good character who, though of different religious, ethnic or social backgrounds, share a belief in the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of mankind,” according to The Grand Lodge of Ohio Free and Accepted Masons. The fraternity encourages men to improve their character through a system of degrees, symbols and opportunities for fellowship.
The Masonic Center is a Springfield landmark, with many people across the state aware of the castle on its grounds and the five-star care, Ohio Rep. Bernie Willis said during the ceremony.
“It takes great foresight and vision to look at something that is already in the top 10 of 1,000 in the state and is a five-star rated facility and say, ‘Hey, we need to do better,’ and go our and run that vision to funding, to partners, to all of the things that go into building something that is going to be another piece of a shining spot for Ohio, Clark County and Springfield,” Willis said.
The project was in part made possible through a generous donation from Robert and Mary Davis.
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