Lakeland Care Opens in Rhinelander

Lakeland Care officials were joined by Rhinelander Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors to mark the official opening of the organization’s newest office at 232 S. Courtney Street in Rhinelander, which serves people throughout Florence, Forest, Oneida and Vilas Counties. Lakeland Care administers Family Care, a comprehensive, flexible and cost-effective long-term care program that helps eligible elders and people with disabilities be independent and remain at home and in their communities.

 

The snip of a giant scissors officially marks availability of Family Care in Florence, Forest, Oneida and Vilas Counties on July 1, as Lakeland Care opens its newest office in Rhinelander.

 

Family Care is a comprehensive and flexible system of long-term care services that fosters people’s independence and supports their quality of life by providing needed assistance for “activities of daily living” such as bathing, food preparation, transportation and employment skills. Beginning July 1, the program replaces services formerly run by counties. Funded through Medicaid, members enrolled in Family Care must be financially and functionally eligible as determined through their local Aging and Disability Resource Centers (ADRC).

 

“We’re excited that Family Care is now available in Florence, Forest, Oneida and Vilas counties,” said Katie Mnuk, CEO of Lakeland Care. “Family Care provides the services people need, when and where they need them, and helps people stay in their homes or their communities,” she added. Opening Family Care in the region is part of a statewide transition to the program.

 

The focus on maintaining individuals’ independence through needed supports helps ensure that Family Care operates cost-effectively. Funding constraints in the legacy system meant that resources were not always sufficient to meet community needs, resulting in waiting lists in some counties. Once Family Care opens in a county, waiting lists will be permanently eliminated in three years or less.

 

Lakeland Care is a managed care organization overseeing long-term care services and supports throughout twenty-two counties in Northeastern and North Central Wisconsin. To fulfill its mission to provide high quality supports for its members, Lakeland Care partners with hundreds of local businesses throughout the region that provide direct care and services. Lakeland Care’s roots run deep in Family Care, as the organization grew from one of the first Family Care pilot programs that began operating in Fond du Lac County seventeen years ago.

 

Lakeland Care focuses on Local, Compassionate, Dependable care! Lakeland Care’s

Rhinelander employees will work with members living throughout the region. Lakeland Care’s care teams travel to each individual member whether in their home, at their place of employment, or in the community; or they can meet at Lakeland Care’s Rhinelander office by appointment.

 

For more information about Lakeland Care and Family Care, visit: www.lakelandcareinc.com. Anyone seeking information about available resources for the elderly or people with disabilities, or about eligibility for Family Care services, should contact their local ADRC.

 

Lakeland Care operates Family Care, a Medicaid Managed Care program that provides long-term supports and services to thousands of eligible frail seniors and adults with disabilities in Northeastern and North Central Wisconsin, helping them live more independently. Lakeland Care offers Family Care in the following counties: Brown, Calumet, Door, Florence, Fond du Lac, Forest, Kewaunee, Langlade, Lincoln, Manitowoc, Marathon, Marinette, Menominee, Oconto, Oneida, Outagamie, Portage, Shawano, Vilas, Waupaca, Winnebago, and Wood.