Phoebe and Sowega Council on Aging partnership will expand community-based services for seniors and graduate medical education offerings
ALBANY, Ga. – The Sowega Council on Aging (SCOA) and Phoebe are finalizing a plan that will help both organizations better serve the community and will have long-lasting positive impacts for SCOA clients and Phoebe patients. SCOA, the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) serving a 14-county region in southwest Georgia, is undertaking a strategic shift designed to bring services closer to older adults throughout the region. As part of this effort, SCOA will sell its service and administrative facility on W. Society Avenue to Phoebe, assisting the health system with its efforts to expand graduate medical education offerings and enhance the development of the region’s future healthcare workforce.
This move reflects SCOA’s continued commitment to responsible stewardship of public funds and alignment with the Older Americans Act, which emphasizes that AAA’s must focus on planning, coordination and oversight of services delivered by providers throughout the region.
“Our mission has always been to support older adults across our entire service area” said Izzie Sadler, Executive Director of SCOA. “This decision allows us to focus resources more intentionally throughout our public service area, strengthening community partnerships, and ensuring access for older adults throughout all 14 counties we serve.”
Over the past decade, the way older adults engage with services has evolved. SCOA has adapted by expanding innovative community-based programs that reach seniors in their homes and neighborhoods. Participation in programs such as Senior Center Without Walls has grown significantly, while service delivery has become more distributed across the region.
“When this building was constructed more than 12 years ago, it supported a much larger staff and a different service model,” Sadler said. “Today, we operate more efficiently through community providers. This allows us to serve more people and do so in ways that meet older adults where they are. This transition reflects both best practices and federal guidance for Area Agencies on Aging.”
SCOA emphasizes that the sale of the building will not reduce services. On the contrary, no services will be eliminated, and the organization will reinvest resources to offer growth in services throughout its 14-county public service area, with a stronger focus on local access and community-based delivery.
As Phoebe further develops its partnership with Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) and looks to expand longtime partnerships with the Medical College of Georgia and University of Georgia College of Pharmacy, the health system needs additional space dedicated to graduate medical education. The SCOA property, which Phoebe purchased 20 years ago and donated to SCOA, is located just two blocks from Phoebe’s main campus and provides a convenient location for its growing graduate medical education services.
“When the Council on Aging approached us with this proposal, we thought the timing couldn’t be better. Our partnership with Morehouse School of Medicine will create new jobs and bring new residency programs, medical research and a medical school campus to Albany, and we need space for those services,” said Scott Steiner, Phoebe Putney Health System (PPHS) President & CEO. “We’ll still have to take on some new construction, but this facility will provide classroom and administrative office space for us right away.”
The building itself holds special significance. Named in honor of former SCOA Executive Director Kay Hind, it stands as a symbol of her vision and dedication to older adults. That legacy will be preserved, as the building and Ms. Hind’s commemorative plaque will remain in place.
“We are honored to carry forward the building’s legacy of community service and excited that this plan will help the Council on Aging refocus its mission and improve its services,” Steiner said. “It will certainly help Phoebe expand access to graduate medical education and bring new physicians to southwest Georgia for training. We expect many of them will stay here to practice once they finish their residency programs, benefiting older adults, families and communities across the region for many years to come.”
The PPHS and SCOA boards have approved the sale of the building, and the deal is expected to close within the next couple of months. SCOA will share additional details regarding its relocation timeline and new administrative office location as plans are finalized.
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