Morning Pointe Senior Living will break ground on the new The Lantern at Morning Pointe Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence at East Hamilton on Friday, March 22 at 11:30 a.m.
The event will take place at the property at 1775 Generations Way in Ooltewah, next door to the current Morning Pointe of East Hamilton Assisted Living and Memory Care. The Lantern will be Phase II of the senior living campus, offering a continuum of care services along with Morning Pointe of East Hamilton, which will transition to an assisted living-only community.
The Lantern is anticipated to open in early 2025.
At the groundbreaking, the East Hamilton High School Choir will provide the opening song and the school’s JROTC will lead out in a flag ceremony and pledge of allegiance.
Morning Pointe Senior Living Co-Founders Greg A.
Vital (president of the company) and Franklin Farrow (CEO), will share their vision for the expanding senior living campus. Other speakers at the event will include Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp, Hamilton County Commissioner Chair for District 10 Jeff Everson, Hamilton County Trustee Bill Hullander, Tennessee State Representative for District 30 Esther Helton, and Manager of Programs and Education for the Alzheimer’s Association Amy French.
The Lantern at Morning Pointe of East Hamilton will be the 41st Morning Pointe Senior Living community and the 25th in Tennessee. Other Hamilton County campuses are located in Chattanooga, Collegedale and Hixson. The single-level memory care community will be an estimated 45,000 square feet and feature 60 apartments. These will encompass two levels of care – Lamplight for early stages of Alzheimer’s and other dementias, and Lantern for the more advanced stages.
The campus is located close to the new Publix super market at the Shops at Enclave, as well as East Hamilton High School and Westview Elementary School.
Programming at the new building will adhere to Morning Pointe’s strong focus on clinical care, with physical and occupational therapies, life enrichment and wellness offerings, and intergenerational activities. It will also feature Morning Pointe’s Farm to Table program with local, farm-fresh and seasonal ingredients.
“East Tennessee, and especially Hamilton County, is a robust and growing part of the U.S.,” said Mr. Vital. “It’s a wonderful place to live, and not only has the general population grown in the last few years, but the senior population has grown right along with it. We are excited to be adding a new Alzheimer’s Center of Excellence, and expanding our existing assisted living services here where the need is growing and close to our Morning Pointe headquarters.”
The new Lantern at Morning Pointe of East Hamilton will create approximately 60 permanent healthcare positions and is estimated to have a positive economic impact of more than $25 million annually, considering payroll, property taxes and local purchase of goods and services, officials said.