The proposed Golden Age Hospital (GAH) is meant to serve the senior population in Mission Viejo area. The community clinic will serve persons of all ages. This does not however mean that the Golden Age Hospital will not serve the rest of the population. The proposed GAH and community clinic will come under the St Joseph Mission Hospital. Considering the population of the area, the aged, that is those above fifty-five in Laguna Woods area are about 23,000 while Casta Del Sol located in Mission Viejo Serves a total population of over three thousand senior residents (Mission4Health).

            The functions of the proposed additional wing of the Golden Age Hospital will be determined by the administration of the Mission Hospital. However, the hospital will serve special needs of the senior population in the area, which will include nutritional care, health care, home based care among other functions.

            The mission of the proposed facility shall be to provide broad-spectrum care for the seniors in order to improve their quality of life and help them live longer. This will be in accordance with the mission hospital’s that is based in continuing the healing ministry of Jesus (Mission4Health). The mission of the community clinic will be to bring care closer to the people who need it. The purpose will be to provide sustainable health care to all by bringing services closer to the people.

            The mission of the proposed Golden Age Hospital and the Community Clinic will take into account the fact that about 25 percent of the population is aged 55 years and above. A critical evaluation of the age of the population is vital. There will be consideration in assisting the senior residents by providing them the necessary services.

            The housing needs for the elderly will have to be taken into account while designing the organizational structure of the facility. The designers will have to consider that most seniors are on a fixed income and there should therefore be a provision for low cost care. The various conditions that affect the seniors related to their health will be taken into consideration while developing the organizational structure. In this regard, specialists in geriatric care shall be part of the Board of directors of the hospital.

Proposed organizational structure of GAH and Community Clinic

            The hospital director shall act as the head the chief administrator. He or she shall be in charge of formulating policy framework for the hospital. He shall do this assisted by the Board of the hospital. The chief operations officer shall be in charge of the overall operations in the hospital. The chief nurse officer shall be in charge of all the nursing care in the hospital and shall ensure that nurses follow the laid down codes by the hospital and other bodies. The chief medical officer shall be in charge of all the medical needs in the hospital. He shall ensure pharmacists and surgeons follow the code of regulations set out by the hospital and other relevant bodies in addition to other functions. The chief financial officer shall be in charge of all the financial obligations of the hospital.

            The proposed hospital will be under St Joseph Mission Hospital founded in 1971. A brief background of the mission hospital shows that there is a Children’s Hospital, which the only facility is offering pediatric services in South Orange County. The focus of the mission hospital is access to health care by helping the residents enroll in insurance, improved systems of integration and building on networks of care. Other areas of focus include mental health and substance abuse prevention (Mission4Health).

            The hospital has a program for low-income earners. This program is known as St Joseph Community Partnership Fund. Under this program, those with need for acute care services can access health services (Mission4Health). The mission of the hospital is “to extend the healing ministry of Jesus in the tradition of the sisters of St Joseph of Orange County by continually improving the health and quality of life of people in the communities we serve” (Mission4Health). This is enshrined in the vision “to bring people together to provide compassionate care, promote health improvement and create healthy communities.”

            The proposed hospital will not undertake geriatric treatment only. Outpatient services for all will be provided. This will be a shared service for the Golden Age Hospital. The blood bank services, kidney dialysis equipment and operating theaters will also be shared. These services cannot compromise the intended purpose of the facility but will rather complement it.

            The recommended size of the hospital is expected to be 230 beds. The need for a more bed capacity is the fact that the senior population is growing rapidly raising a need for care of patients who need acute care. The major services that will be offered at the facility will include in patient acute care, inpatient rehabilitation, and skilled nursing and hospice services. The hospital will also provide pediatric and gynecology services.

            Owing to their general weakness arising from their age, the hospital will need to offer physical therapy to the senior patients attending the facility. This is in order to enhance mobility for the seniors. Psychiatric services will also be offered to those suffering mental problems. Conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and dementia will be managed at the hospital. The hospital will also establish oncology services to deal with those suffering various cancers. Cardiovascular diseases will also be treated at the facility. Nutritional services will also be offered in order to assist those who suffer lifestyle related complications.

            Integration of the services of the physicians specialized in geriatric treatment will be done in such a way that the hospital is able to offer a wide range of services to a wider community. Physicians specialized in other fields such as pediatric and gynecology services will be integrated in the facility.

            In conclusion, the GAH and the Community Clinic are long overdue. There is need to provide specialized care to the senior community in the area. The cost of treatment should be based on the laid down health policy of the state and the federal governments. The various health insurances will be at use.             It is recommended that the federal and the state authorities be involved in the construction of the hospital. The hospital should be 100 percent in-patient exclusive to the seniors. However, the rest of the population could be considered depending on the number of integrated services. The specialization in geriatric care should take a higher percentage than other services to be offered in the hospital.