The Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence, Chattanooga is nearly rebuilt, almost one year after the Easter tornado that destroyed both the memory care and the assisted living senior living communities in East Brainerd. Residents were safely evacuated to local hotels after the tornado with no major injuries and, ultimately, relocated to nearby Morning Pointe campuses, as rebuilding efforts for both Morning Pointe of Chattanooga and The Lantern began in earnest. The assisted living building reopened in November 2020.
Construction on The Lantern is now 75 percent complete as contractors are making headway on a multi-million dollar investment into rebuilding this Alzheimer’s memory care community. A large drive-through portico now marks the grand entrance of the building at 7620 Shallowford Road, and the interior is all new, with updated apartment floor plans and a layout that better suits memory care residents. The Lantern will offer one-level living focused on two stages of memory care: Lamplight, a program for those living with early to moderate stages of Alzheimer’s disease, and Lantern, a program geared toward those with late to moderately severe Alzheimer’s.
“Nothing thrills me more than to see this building coming back to life,” said The Lantern
Executive Director Alisha Landes. “When the tornado destroyed our building last spring, I wasn’t
sure how we would make it back—but with God’s help, we are coming back stronger than ever.
These hallways will be full of residents once again.”
The Lantern will now boast 59 memory care apartments across 43,000 square feet on its original
site nestled between Gunbarrel Road and Jenkins Road. The Lantern at Morning Pointe of
Chattanooga is one of 35 Morning Pointe senior living communities in five southeastern states developed, owned and managed by Independent Healthcare Properties, LLC, a Chattanooga-based senior healthcare services company founded in 1996 by Tennessee healthcare
entrepreneurs Greg A. Vital and J. Franklin Farrow.
In addition to Morning Pointe of Chattanooga, Morning Pointe Senior Living also operates communities in the Chattanooga areas of Ooltewah, Hixson and Collegedale.
“With construction crews in the later stages of finishing The Lantern, we are thrilled to report
that Morning Pointe is back, rising from the ashes of the 2020 tornado to once again serve the
residents of East Brainerd,” said Mr. Vital, president of Morning Pointe Senior Living. “All
the hard work of our associates, state and local officials and this construction crew has brought
us toward this momentous reopening. We are Morning Pointe Strong.”
For more information on The Lantern at Morning Pointe of Chattanooga or to schedule a tour,
call 423-551-4190 or visit morningpointe.com/morningpointestrong.