Lutheran Services Carolinas and Kintegra Health are now sponsoring members of PACE of the Southern Piedmont. PACE is an acronym for “Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly.”

Participants who receive healthcare services from PACE will not notice any change since the corporate members primarily affect governance, growth and strategic planning. The change in nonprofit ownership was driven by the need for local members who have a strong community presence and the ability to grow services in the community.

Lutheran Services Carolinas, based in Salisbury,  partners with three PACE programs: PACE@Home in Hickory, Senior TLC in Gastonia and PACE of the Triad in Greensboro.

“Teaming up with PACE of the Southern Piedmont is a natural fit for Lutheran Services Carolinas because of our long history of serving North Carolina seniors,” said Ted Goins, president of Lutheran Services Carolinas.

Kintegra Health offers services in Alexander, Catawba, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Gaston, Iredell and Lincoln counties.  Kintegra is a sponsoring partner of Senior TLC, a PACE program in Gastonia.

Renee Rizzuti is CEO of PACE, which was established in 2013 as a nonprofit organization that coordinates care for elderly participants covered by Medicare or Medicaid so they can continue living at home even though they are eligible for nursing home care. The organization employs approximately 60 full-time clinical and administrative personnel in Cabarrus, Mecklenburg, Stanly and Union counties. It serves approximately 400 participants.

The program helps to reduce healthcare costs by ensuring that the financial interests of the PACE program and the care needs of the people being served are properly aligned. The PACE approach reduces dependence on hospital-based emergency departments for routine care and postpones the need for full-time care in a nursing home.

In North Carolina, there are currently 12 PACE programs serving 40 counties. In addition, 31 of the 50 states have PACE programs. For more information about NC PACE, visit https://ncpace.org/

Boyd to lead state’s School Public Relations Association

Ellen Boyd, who recently retired after 27 years with Kannapolis City Schools, has been named the executive director of the North Carolina School Public Relations Association.

Boyd most recently worked as director of community relations for Kannapolis City Schools. She earlier was news assignment editor for WSOC-TV.

She has been active in the NCSPRA and the National School Public Relations Association for nearly three decades and twice served on the state association’s board of directors. She started her job as executive director of NCSPRA on Wednesday.

The association, which is for public relations and communications professionals who work in education, serves about 60 school districts and 120 members.

Aldi expanding its curbside grocery pickup availability 

Aldi is expanding its curbside grocery pickup to offer more options after a successful pilot in select markets. Curbside pickup will be available in nearly 600 stores across the country by month’s end.

Customers can access shop.ALDI.us  for a full selection of products. To find the nearest store that offers curbside pickup, visit the site or open the mobile app. Shoppers fill out an online cart and select a pickup time and location. Designated parking spots are marked at the stores and an employee will load groceries into the customer’s car.

Walmart hires more than 12,245 veterans in North Carolina

Walmart has achieved its hiring goal of more than 265,000 veterans, including more than 12,245 in North Carolina.

“We’re proud of our ability to present opportunities to the talented service members who have honorably served our country,” said Brynt Parmeter, senior director for Walmart Military Programs. “Our company is committed to building relationships across this community to advance and improve both economic opportunity and overall well-being.”

First announced on Memorial Day 2013, the initial goal was 100,000 veterans by the end of 2018. Two years later, the company expanded that goal to 250,000 by the end of 2020.

On Veterans Day 2018, recognizing the need to broaden employment opportunities for military families, Walmart introduced the Military Spouses Career Connection. To date, the company has hired more than 31,000 associates and continues offering any military spouse hiring preference when applying for a job.

Since 2011, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation have invested more than $40 million in programs that support job training, education and public/private community-based initiatives for veterans and military families.

In North Carolina, Walmart has 217 retail units with 59,047 employees. Walmart spent $13.2 billion with North Carolina suppliers in fiscal year 2018  and supports 87,596 North Carolina supplier jobs.  In the same year, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation contributed more than $68 million in cash and in-kind donations to local nonprofits in North Carolina and employees volunteered more than 16,000 hours with local causes.

For more information, visit www.walmartcareerswithamission.com.