A needs assessment is currently being done at the OCO's health centers, to determine what both patients and doctors think would benefit the center. Psycho-social care is also high on the list of services OCO would like to provide for its patients, Holst said. Many patients need help in determining how to take care of themselves and their medical conditions, she said, and may need an extended referral source. The concept of catering to busy families' health care needs has produced yet another buzz word in the health care industry. Critics have warned that the county's 120,000 residents may not be able to support all of the investments being made in health care.
Senior citizens have much to gain with the new levels of care being offered in housing.
Terrence Gorman, St. Luke administrator, said the facility expanded five years ago from 120 to 200 beds, and remains near or at capacity. Officials at St. Luke implemented a series of three studies over a three-year period, to determine if indeed the local market could handle what it was proposing. Another was done in late 1997, in an effort to query the community about its interest in additional services. Both brought positive responses. A third, more detailed market analysis using national assisted living study guidelines echoed the need for such services in Oswego County, Gorman said.