A red ribbon day at Avalon at Atrium

It may have been a chilly mid-winter day outside Avalon by Otterbein at Atrium, but inside 105 Atrium Drive a congenial and homey atmosphere perfectly exemplified why it is unlike any nursing home most people have ever seen.

Approximately 100 people gathered Feb. 9 for the official ribbon cutting of Warren County's second small house neighborhood, which is located on the campus of the Atrium Medical Center in Middletown.

"This is an attempt to de-institutionalize nursing homes," said Sue McConn, vice president of Avalon by Otterbein. "People here have an opportunity to take control of their own lives. They determine when they get up, their meals, their activities - whereas in an institutional setting all those things are planned for them."

Avalon by Otterbein small house neighborhoods have five houses where each 7,000 square-foot house is home to 10 people. Elder assistants attend to the elders living there and nurses provide the necessary treatments.

The Avalon by Otterbein small house neighborhood is located on 4.5 acres on the Atrium Medical Center campus. Each house features a great room, patio, a residential kitchen, a family dining area, a den and physical therapy room.

Atrium Medical Center CEO Doug McNeill said he was delighted to have Avalon as one of the many partner agencies on the Atrium campus.

"Traditionally, the elderly population have been placed in a dorm," he said, "but if you take a look around it looks like home."

Retired Otterbein CEO and President Donald L. Gilmore said Avalon by Otterbein neighborhoods have revolutionized care for the elderly.

"It's transformational," he said. "It's going to set the future of how we care for elders upside down."

Several elected officials presented letters and proclamations in honor of the day. Brewster Rhoads brought a proclamation from Gov. Ted Strickland, while letters were given by Rep. Shannon Jones and by representatives from the offices of Rep. John Boehner and Sen. Sherrod Brown.

Middletown Mayor Larry Mulligan Jr. presented Gilmore with a key to the city of Middletown, which now hangs in 105 Atrium Drive.

Bill Triick, president and CEO of The Chamber of Commerce serving Middletown, Monroe and Trenton, presided over the actual cutting of the ribbon. Otterbein Homes Board of Trustees Chair Tom Compton held the giant scissors and symbolically opened Avalon at > Middletown's doors with just a snip.

Avalon by Otterbein has three more locations in Ohio: Monclova, Perrysburg and Springboro. A neighborhood in Hamilton Township is currently under construction.

Back to News Search Results