YOUNGSTOWN — Some Ohio lawmakers with local ties came to see what their legislative efforts have yielded for some of Mahoning County’s most vulnerable residents.

State Sen. Al Cutrona, R-Canfield, joined State Reps. Monica Robb Blasdel, R-New Waterford, and David Thomas, R-Jefferson, at the Buckeye PACE senior care center on Market Street to discuss the facility’s opening and what comes next for this new brand of health care.

“At the end of the day what we want to make sure we do is take care of the most vulnerable population in our communities, and that is our senior population,” Cutrona said. “And so this gives them an opportunity to not have to go to the nursing homes but to be able to come here during the day and go back to their home in the evenings.”

PACE — Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly — is operated through the Ohio Department of Aging. Services can be provided either in the home or at a local PACE center like the one at 2701 Market St., which was a former Rite-Aid. The program provides access to doctors, dentists, eye care professionals, daily meal deliveries, foot and wound care, physical therapy, medication, rides, help around the house and activities.

While it has been around in some form since 1997, Cutrona said the facilities and programs — supported by Medicare and Medicaid — were only operating in a few places around the state, like in Cuyahoga County. But he said they have seen plenty of evidence since then that the program works and is valuable to local communities. Patrick Schwartz, government affairs manager for the PACE Association of Ohio, said there are now four providers operating in 10 counties in OhIo.

According to a news release from PACE, the Kaiser Family Foundation reported that 5% of individuals in the United States account for 50% of health care spending.

“The PACE program is specially designed to keep these complex patients out of high-cost settings like hospitals and nursing homes and instead partner with existing health providers to provide care to older adults in their homes and communities,” the release states.

During the meeting Monday, leaders of PACE thanked Cutrona and his colleagues for passing HB 45 in 2022, which expanded the PACE program to include Mahoning, Trumbull, Lorain, Summit, Montgomery, Lucas, Franklin, Hamilton and Ashtabula counties.

PACE also thanked Gov. Mike DeWine’s administration for establishing a sustainable payment infrastructure to expand patient access, and they lauded the passage of HB 96, which allows new patients to presumptively enroll while their Medicaid eligibility determination is pending, if they meet the PACE enrollment requirements after the provider’s initial assessment, at the provider’s financial risk.

“We thank State Senator Al Cutrona and State Representatives Monica Robb Blasdel and David Thomas, for meeting with us today to discuss how we can ensure PACE reaches even more Ohio seniors,” said Marcie Campbell, vice president at One Senior Care, a partner to Buckeye PACE. “Thanks to the dedication of lawmakers and the DeWine administration, we are strengthening access to PACE for aging Ohioans — improving lives, preventing health crises and reducing health care costs.”

Reps. Lauren McNally, D-Youngstown, and Nick Santucci, R-Niles, also were expected, but could not attend.

Cutrona said the facility is all about affordability and dignity for patients, allowing them to live at home and still receive many of the treatments they need, have a daytime caretaker and the opportunity to socialize.

“When you’re 80 or 90 and you’re sitting at home by yourself…studies have shown (that is linked to) a decrease in cognitive abilities, and this allows people to have a place to go and keep their mind active and receive some of those types of healthcare needs they have and still go back home,” he said.

Cutrona said the most important job the state and local communities have now is spreading the word about the facility and its services.

“The first thing is giving people the knowledge of what PACE is, because this is something new to our county,” he said. “So we need to let people know there are different options out there, ways that we can keep them here in their homes and be able to take care of them so they can be able to have a life of dignity, and I believe that’s what PACE does.”