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Align Senior Care

Innsbrook-based healthcare firm branches out with Lakewood clinic


Rebecca Beecroft is a member of the Align Senior Clinic staff. The clinic provides primary care to residents of Lakewood Retirement Community. (Photos courtesy AllyAlign Health)

An Innsbrook-based health care provider for senior living communities has expanded its offerings to include a primary care clinic in a facility in Henrico.

AllyAlign Health opened its first onsite clinic at Lakewood Retirement Community last week.

The Align Senior Clinic provides primary care exclusively to Lakewood residents. Though AllyAlign previously had experience in primary care services, the clinic is new ground in that it shifts care delivery from a bedside model to an outpatient concept to scale services to a larger population.

AllyAlign CEO Will Saunders said it's the first of likely more to come in other nursing homes with which AllyAlign is affiliated, in a move that keeps step with shifting consumer considerations amid the coronavirus pandemic. The company operates in more than 500 senior living communities in 22 states.

“It's very much a template,” Saunders said of the new clinic.

The Lakewood clinic has two employees, which could increase based on demand. The clinic is about 1,200 square feet and can accommodate 60-80 patients. There are more than 600 residents at Lakewood.

Saunders said the clinic isn't necessarily intended to be a total replacement for residents' existing primary care providers. It's an attempt to create an accessible care option that also meshes with residents' existing health care resources.

“It's very complementary. It's a continuum of care and a different approach,” he said.

Saunders declined to share the exact investment made to set up the clinic, but said it was in five figures. The clinic was built within Lakewood's facilities.

Though the clinic concept was in the works prior to the pandemic, Saunders felt the concept is a perfect response to the moment. He said the pandemic has caused people to rethink their expectations for their loved ones when seeking a senior living facility, particularly in regard to safety. An in-house medical facility cuts down on the need for a resident to leave a senior home to visit a doctor's office or hospital, and thereby minimizes the chance of contact with the coronavirus.

“It's much different today than six months ago,” he said. “It's fair to say there is increased interest in this model.”

AllyAlign was founded in 2014. The company has more than 200 employees. Saunders declined to share the company's annual revenue. The company is based at 10900 Nuckols Road.

AllyAlign's previous experience with primary care comes by way of its nurse practitioner arm that renders service as part of nursing home health care plans. The company is a convener and owner of Medicare Advantage plans designed for senior housing residents.

Lakewood is located at 1900 Lauderdale Drive in Henrico County and opened in 1979. The nonprofit, faith-based senior living community is part of LifeSpire of Virginia, a group of nonprofit continuing care senior communities.

Other recent additions to the area's medical landscape include two new radiology offices in Henrico and the opening of a $95 million rehabilitation hospital in Goochland County.

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