JEFFERSON CITY (BHHM) – Baptist Homes & Healthcare Ministries has finalized its purchase of the Tri-County Care Center in Vandalia.
Baptist Homes has been providing management services of this home for approximately one year. As of Sept. 1, the campus became the eighth home in the Baptist Homes family of ministries.
Dr. Aaron Witte, administrator of the Tri-County campus discovered an interesting back story of an unknown connection between Baptist Homes and the Tri-County Care Center. The story comes from a document found by Witte in the archives of Tri-County Care Center:
Aaron Witte
“In the early 1960s a resident of Vandalia, Mo., Mrs. Myrtle Gibson moved to The Baptist Home’s original location in Ironton, Mo. A friend of hers, Mrs. Melva McDonald, also from Vandalia, hated for her neighbor to move so far away from home and set about to establish a local nursing home in the Vandalia area.
“She campaigned for support from local businesses and the local newspaper, and she and Pete Steiner met with nursing home licensure officials in Jefferson City to learn about the next steps.
“She and Mr. Steiner formed a committee along with some other local businessmen and leaders who began a public information campaign. They gained enough support for their idea that on May 2, 1967, they were able to successfully establish the nursing home district to collect tax revenues and support the building of the nursing home.”
The effort resulted in the establishment of the Tri-County Nursing Home District which eventually opened the home in 1969.
Now, some 50-plus years later, through the providence of God, the vision of the people of Vandalia is now a part of the vision of Baptist Homes. Together, these visions of caring for the aging have come together to achieve the Baptist Homes’ mission to “provide Christ-like care for the aging to the Glory of God.”
Baptist Homes Tri-County now operates as a Skilled Nursing Facility including a remodeled Memory Care Neighborhood and a Residential Care Community. The Home offers in-house therapy, IV Therapy, Palliative Care, Respite Care and Adult Day Care services. According to Rodney Harrison, BHHM President, “Much of the remodeling and refreshing at the campus was undertaken by volunteers. The campus is blessed with an abundance of support from area churches and local communities.”
In an address to staff, Witte assured them, “Things at Tri-County are changing, but the vision remains unchanged. We exist to please God and help others do the same… We have cared for retired ministers and pastors just as the Baptist Homes has, and God is present at Tri-County and our new ownership assures that He always will be.”
A dedication celebration is being planned for later in September. You can reach Baptist Homes Tri-County at 573.594.6467, awitte@bhhm.org and the campus is located at 601 N Galloway Rd. Vandalia, MO 63382.
Baptist Homes & Healthcare Ministries is a distinctively Christian ministry called to joyfully serve in a Christlike manner by educating, advocating, and caring for the aging for the glory of God. BHHM provides contextualized care and support, from independent living to skilled nursing to hospice care across multiple campuses across Missouri. For more information, go to www.thebaptisthome.org or call 1.800.736.6227.