As New York’s older population grows and long-term care capacity faces increasing pressure, this milestone highlights a comprehensive model helping older adults with complex health needs remain at home.
Millicent Matos, Deputy Director of Community Affairs for the Office of Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson, presents a proclamation recognizing ArchCare Senior Life reaching 1,000 PACE participants during the Journey to 1,000 celebration at the PACE Bronx Center.
BRONX, NY, October 26, 2026 — From participants who have been part of ArchCare Senior Life PACE for more than 15 years to a 104-year-old still living at home, the people honored at ArchCare Senior Life’s October 20th celebration represented different chapters in the growth of a program built around a common goal: helping older adults receive the care they need while continuing to live in their communities.
ArchCare Senior Life celebrated reaching 1,000 participants in its Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) at its Bronx Center, marking a significant milestone as New York prepares for a rapidly growing older adult population and increasing demand for community-based long-term care.
PACE provides comprehensive medical and long-term care services for eligible adults age 55 and older who require more than 120 days of community-based long-term care services and can live safely at home. An interdisciplinary team coordinates participants’ care, which can include primary and specialty care, medications, rehabilitation, home care, transportation, nutrition and other medical and social supports.
Unlike programs focused on a single service or setting, PACE brings those services together around the individual. Participants can receive care at a PACE center, in their homes and through a network of providers, giving older adults and their families a coordinated approach to managing medical, functional and social needs while supporting continued independence at home.
“There isn’t another program that takes every need someone has and coordinates that care for them and their family,” said Scott LaRue, President and CEO of ArchCare. “PACE provides more than clinical care. It provides socialization, friendships and a place where participants belong.”
LaRue, who helped introduce PACE into ArchCare’s continuum of care, said the organization reached the 1,000-participant milestone 17 years after opening its first center and is already looking toward continued growth.
“We’re going to get to 2,000 in the next five years,” LaRue said.
ArchCare Senior Life currently operates PACE centers in the Bronx, Harlem, Staten Island and Westchester, expanding access to a model that provides participants and their families with one team responsible for coordinating a broad range of healthcare and long-term care needs.
1,000 Participants, 1,000 Stories
The celebration put the participants behind the milestone at its center, recognizing some of ArchCare Senior Life’s longest-standing participants, its oldest participant and the individual who became participant No. 1,000.
Aurora Romero, a participant since 2010, continues to be an active member of the PACE community, regularly attending the Wellness Center and participating in center activities and special events.
Antonia Arroyo and her brother, Israel Malave, have participated in PACE together since 2010. Today, the brother-and-sister duo continue to receive support from the program while enjoying meaningful leisure activities at home.
Antonia’s daughter reflected on what that longstanding support has meant to her family.
“Thank you for always being there,” she said. “When I make a phone call, you’re always there. It’s a very nice program.”
Sally Smith, a participant since 2011, continues to attend the Wellness Center twice each week and remains an active and engaged member of the PACE community.
“It really has been my pleasure being here,” Smith said during the celebration. “I appreciate everybody. I really do.”
The program also recognized Enid McGibbon, ArchCare Senior Life’s oldest participant at 104 years old. McGibbon continues to live at home, where she enjoys singing and staying physically active with exercise videos.
Completing the milestone was Carmen Iglesias, ArchCare Senior Life’s 1,000th participant. Iglesias recently joined the program and shared her excitement about becoming part of the PACE community and having access to comprehensive care coordinated in one place.
A Milestone for the Bronx—and for Community-Based Care
The Office of Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson presented ArchCare Senior Life with a proclamation recognizing the milestone and the program’s continued service to older adults throughout the borough.
“Today’s celebration represents so much more than just a number,” said Millicent Matos, Deputy Director of Community Affairs for Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson. “It represents 1,000 individuals whose lives have been touched by compassionate care, 1,000 stories and 1,000 families who have received support.”
The Office of New York State Assemblymember Yudelka Tapia, District 86, was also represented at the celebration by Chief of Staff Jack Shaevitz, who recognized ArchCare’s work supporting older adults across the Bronx.
The milestone comes as communities across New York confront a fundamental question about the future of aging: how to provide increasingly complex medical and long-term care to a growing older population while supporting those who can continue living safely at home.
For participants and their families, the PACE model is designed to simplify what can otherwise be a fragmented experience. Medical care, rehabilitation, home-based services, transportation, nutrition and social supports are coordinated through an interdisciplinary team that knows the participant and can respond as needs change.
For the Care Members delivering that support, reaching 1,000 participants also represents years of growth and relationship-building.
“What makes PACE Bronx truly special isn’t just how much we’ve grown over the years, but the people who remain committed to making a difference in our participants’ lives every single day,” said Eunice Maxwell, Program Director of ArchCare Senior Life PACE Bronx. “It’s more than a program. It’s a community built on compassion, commitment and service.”
Derek Dunbar, Senior Vice President of Managed Care at ArchCare, credited the milestone to the Care Members who have supported participants throughout the program’s growth.
“A lot has changed since 2009, but what hasn’t changed is the commitment and calling our Care Members share in this work,” Dunbar said. “The 1,000 participants we care for today, and the thousands who came before them, are better off because of that commitment. Our Care Members are the reason we’ve reached this milestone—and why we have the ambition to serve even more.”
For older adults and families considering how to manage increasingly complex care needs, reaching 1,000 participants highlights an option many may not realize is available: comprehensive medical and long-term care designed around supporting people safely in their own homes and communities.
About ArchCare Senior Life PACE
ArchCare Senior Life is part of ArchCare, the Continuing Care Community of the Archdiocese of New York. Through the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), ArchCare Senior Life coordinates comprehensive medical, social and long-term care services for eligible older adults who require nursing-home-level care but can continue living safely in their communities. The program is designed to support participants’ health, independence and connection to their families and communities.
For more information about ArchCare Senior Life PACE, visit archcare.org.
Media Contact:
Kelly Wessel