New director hopes to see healthier seniors

James Mack Street, White River Medical Complex facility administrator and the new director of eight Senior Life Centers in Fulton, Izard, Sharp and Stone counties, stands outside of the Ash Flat Senior Center. As the result of a management agreement between the White River Health System and the White River Area Agency on Aging, the health system began managing the centers in July.
James Mack Street, White River Medical Complex facility administrator and the new director of eight Senior Life Centers in Fulton, Izard, Sharp and Stone counties, stands outside of the Ash Flat Senior Center. As the result of a management agreement between the White River Health System and the White River Area Agency on Aging, the health system began managing the centers in July.

— James Mack Street said that taking on one role with the White River Medical Complex has brought him many others.

Street, facility administrator at the White River Medical Complex in Cherokee Village, is now director of eight Senior Life Centers in Fulton, Izard, Sharp and Stone counties. The centers were formerly managed by St. Bernards Healthcare.

Through an agreement between the White River Area Agency on Aging and the White River Health System, the health system will now manage the centers, located in Ash Flat, Brockwell, Cherokee Village, Hardy,Mammoth Spring, Mountain View, Salem and Viola. The centers provide congregate and home-delivered meals, wellness programs and socialization opportunities for those who are 60 and older.

“I’ve always been interested in serving the people,” said Street, who served on the White River Health System board of directors for 22 years. “This is for people 60 years of age and over, and I am one now.”

Street said the White River Area Agency on Aging and the White River Health System serve the same communities and have maintained a working relationship for years. About 8,500 people utilized the centers in July, the month the health system began managing them.

“Being a part of Senior Life Centers allows the White River Health System to have a positive impact on the health of our senior adults, especially those senior adults who may not have family or social support needed to maintain their health independently,” Street said.

The Older Americans Act of 1965 paved the way for senior centers in the country, Street said. He also said participation in Senior Life Centers has a correlation to less hospitalization among senior citizens.

“This is something that is important in the communities, and it’s an important role for the hospital to play in this,” he said. “There are fewer people in hospitals now than ever before, due to technology and advancements. As such, hospitals are extending out to reach the communities.”

Street, who lives in Cave City, is a former chairman of the finance committee for the Northcentral Arkansas Development Council, which also once managed the Senior Life Centers.

Wellness programs offered at the centers include peripheral vascular screenings and warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease. Street said wellness programs are open to community residents of all ages.

“We’re hoping to bring a new light on the centers,” Street said. “They’ve been around for years, so we’re hoping that we can make changes and enhancements to the programs that are offered.”

Some of the area Senior Life Centers are located in senior-citizen developments, and others are standalone facilities. Street said 21 percent of residents in Fulton, Izard, Sharp and Stone counties are older than 65, but he said he hopes the centers’ wellness programs and social opportunities attract those younger than the 60-and-older demographic.

“Some of the centers have jigsaw puzzles that they put together; some of them have regular card games; some have pool tables available. We have musical entertainment in Mountain View on a regular basis,” he said. “We are focused on the senior citizens, but we try to get our services out to the entire community, regardless of age.”

So far, Street has eaten meals with residents at some of the centers, but he hasn’t yet visited all eight locations.

“I’m finding a real appreciation of the centers,” he said.

The health system’s management of the centers will hopefully contribute to more healthy senior adults, Street said.

“Our hospital is really reaching out to the community and trying to work with its patients so that we’ve got better care — more preventative care so they can avoid illnesses as they get older,” he said.

Staff writer Syd Hayman can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or shayman@arkansasonline.com.

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