Two culture change leaders, The Eden Alternative and the Lifespan-Network’s Wellspring Program, are now one. The official announcement of The Eden Alternative’s acquisition of the Wellspring Program was made last week at the 6th Eden Alternative International Conference. Charlotte Eliopolous, Executive Director of the Wellspring Program, joined Dr. Bill Thomas, co-founder of The Eden Alternative, and me to make the exciting announcement at the opening session of our International Conference in front of more than 350 people from seven different countries. The audience enthusiastically applauded the news.
The Wellspring Program was created in Wisconsin in 1994, the same year The Eden Alternative was incorporated in New York. The two organizations have followed parallel paths for the past two decades. Now based in the mid-Atlantic as part of The Lifespan Network’s Beacon Institute, the Wellspring Program has focused on improving clinical delivery of care for illness and infirmity by focusing on the needs of the person over the institution. Similarly, the Eden Alternative’s philosophy has focused on transforming care environments by creating a “pathway to a life worth living” for both residents and staff. The Eden Alternative will take ownership and control of the Wellspring Program and add it to the core suite of culture change services and education programs offered through Eden’s global network.
The combination between The Eden Alternative and Wellspring is a landmark in the growth of the culture change movement, which is rapidly transforming the long term care industry and redefining the standards of quality and care by which it is evaluated. The combined offerings of The Eden Alternative and Wellspring will bring together for the first time a comprehensive approach to culture change, leveraging their respective strengths to address both the cultural and clinical aspects of long term care. The Eden Alternative and Lifespan Network’s Beacon Institute will also be exploring other opportunities for future collaboration to enhance and further develop elements of the Wellspring Program to assist underperforming urban nursing homes.
“This event says the time for culture change has arrived,” said Eden Alternative founder Dr. Bill Thomas. “The consolidation between The Eden Alternative and Wellspring is clear evidence for the growing need and market for an all-encompassing culture change organization that can address both the clinical and cultural changes required to deliver person-directed care.
This is a major step forward in the evolution and growth of The Eden Alternative. We believe this acquisition gives us the ability to offer an even broader range of educational offerings to help organizations achieve deep and lasting culture change by engaging staff along multiple dimensions. Tell us what you think.
Here is a link to the press release. http://www.edenalt.org/images/stories/wellspring/Wellspring_Press_Release_with_Logos_for_ConferenceLBFINALFINAL.pdf
