Concordia Lutheran Ministries

“The member of Concordia Lutheran Ministries are a group of 28 Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) churches, To become a member, each LCMS church must apply and be approved by the delegate body. The delegate body includes three delegates from each member church.”

“Concordia Lutheran Ministries' board of directors is elected by the delegate body described in Part VI, Section A, Line 6.”

“The Form 990 is prepared internally. The document is then reviewed by the Chief Financial Officer and others on the accounting management team. The board of directors received draft copies of the 990, prior to filing, in order to provide questions, comments, and feedback. Questions and comments are addressed accordingly. A copy of the final 990 is made available to all board members.”

“The corporate compliance officer attends at least one board meeting per year to educate the board members on the compliance policies, including the conflict of interest policy. Board members are required to disclose any potential conflicts of interest prior to discussion on a topic where a conflict may exist. The board will determine if the conflict exists and act accordingly, which may include the conflicted board member recusing himself/herself from discussion and any votes related to the matter.”

“Concordia Lutheran Ministries has no employees. The processes listed in Line 15 are performed by an affiliate organization for those persons listed on Part VII and on Schedule J.”

“Concordia Lutheran Ministries' Form 990 is available at guidestar.org”

“An annual report that summarizes the financial operations of the organization and its affiliates which is mailed to all of its constituents and is available to the public upon request. The Concordia Lutheran Ministries governing documents, conflict of interest policies, and financial statements are available to the public upon request.”

“All board members of Concordia Lutheran Ministries serve on a purely volunteer basis. Any compensation to a board member by a related organization, reported on Part VII and Schedule J, is for his/her service as an employee of that organization and not for his/her service as a board member.”

“Concordia Lutheran Ministries' supported organizations offer a full suite of senior care services through the continuum of care offered by the organizations. When someone requires skilled nursing, they generally receive one of two types of care: long-term nursing care or short-term rehabilitation. Long-term care is designed for those who need a higher level of care from a variety of health professionals, including a medical director, nurses, therapists, social workers, dietitians, and more. Short-term rehabilitation is designed for those who need additional care after a hospital stay or to recover from an illness, injury, surgery, or other medical condition. Depending on the needs of the resident or patient, skilled nursing care could be required for years or only a few weeks/months. Nine supported organizations have locations offer long-term nursing care/short-term rehabilitation: Concordia at Cabot, Concordia of Monroeville, Concordia at Rebecca Residence, Concordia of the South Hills, Concordia at Sumner, Concordia at Villa St. Joseph, Concordia Village of Tampa, Concordia at Bethlen, and Harmony Physical Rehabilitation. During a year that hit many other skilled nursing facilities across the country hard, Concordia's facilities have continued to thrive thanks to steadfast employees and clear-eyed administration and their dedication to serving the organization's residents and patients. Concordia's supported skilled nursing facilities have been able to align, meeting regulations and requirements with the day-to-day needs of residents and patients so that all care is provided in the safest environment possible. As in personal care, more surveys were conducted at the majority of the organization's supported skilled nursing facilities, and all regular training helped the organization's staff prepare while also maintaining excellent quality, reducing hospitalizations, and building census. Many of the organization's supported facilities received deficiency-free surveys this year and achieved or maintained 5-star ratings for overall quality on the publicly reported U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) website.”

“When individuals need assistance with activities of daily living, such as bathing and personal hygiene, mobility assistance, wound care, preparation of special nutritional meals or diets, housekeeping, laundry, and more, they receive personal care (which includes assisted living at the Ohio and Florida locations). All of Concordia's supported personal care and assisted living facilities are equipped to care for individuals with memory impairments as well. Concordia of Fox Chapel and Concordia at Bridgeville memory care serve as Concordia's only two supported standalone memory care facilities. Supported organizations offer 16 personal care or assisted living locations: Concordia at Cabot, Concordia of Cranberry, Concordia of Fox Chapel, Concordia of Franklin Park, Concordia of Monroeville, Concordia at the Orchard, Concordia at Rebecca Residence, Concordia at Ridgewood Place, Concordia of the South Hills, Concordia of Wexford, Concordia at Villa St. Joseph, Ligonier Gardens, Concordia of Bridgeville PC, , Concordia at Weatherwood, Concordia at Sumner (assisted living), and Concordia Village of Tampa (assisted living). Staffing in personal care is also a challenge that Concordia supported organizations are meeting with creative solutions. The organization can confidently state that, as always, appropriate staffing levels have been maintained. A major benefit to Concordia and its supported organizations' size and scope is that if an individual location experiences a shortage, staff from other Concordia supported locations in the area are able to help cover. Because of this teamwork, the organization's supported personal care communities in Pennsylvania have not had to rely on agency staffing, which is a major benefit for the organization's supported locations residents, in terms of maintaining relationships with familiar caregivers who have all received identical training protocols. The organization's supported facilities have also brought on new talent this year - several managers in training, employees finishing their degrees while working at Concordia supported organizations to further their careers and more. Concordia supported organizations' robust training programs for team members were continued and expanded this year, equipping them with the knowledge they need to provide the best care possible. Supported organizations maintain an annual curriculum of mandatory in-person and online trainings that includes required education from state and federal regulatory agencies, as well as training required by the organization's accrediting organizations. Paired with continuous job-specific trainings, demonstrations, meetings and workshops throughout the year, the organization's education program is structured so that team members can stay up to date on current trends in the industry. No matter what may happen in the future, Concordia's supported personal care facilities continue to provide excellent care in a compassionate environment and will continue to meet any and all challenges in the future.”

“Retirement living, also known as independent living, is offered as a worry-free lifestyle for seniors with every convenience of home. The organization's apartments and villas are backed by Concordia's brand of quality, security, and value with included amenities like routine maintenance, scheduled transportation, daily events and activities, and much more. Seven Concordia Lutheran Ministries supported organization locations have retirement living communities: Concordia Haven Apartments, Concordia of the South Hills, Concordia at Sumner, Concordia Village of Tampa, Concordia at Bethlen, Concordia of Bridgeville, and Highpointe at Rebecca. Residents who choose to live in retirement living enjoy greater levels of interaction than those who elect to live in the outside communities alone.”

“Concordia's Professional Visiting Nurses (CVN) have provided high-quality nursing care and a variety of therapy services to people in their own homes since 1998. CVN offers skilled nursing care, social work oversight, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, palliative care, telehealth, disease management, spiritual care and specialty services, family educators, and Tele-Caregivers. CVN currently employs nearly 500 dedicated professionals at three branch offices that serve 11 counties in Pennsylvania: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Greene, Lawrence, Washington and parts of Clarion, Indiana, Fayette, and Westmoreland. CVN provided over 300,000 professional service visits in the organization's community. Concordia's supported professional home health services were also able to see the benefits of Concordia's Tuition Assistance Program at Butler County Community College. The program allows nursing students to complete the BC3 Nursing Program tuition-free with the added bonus of securing a job at a Concordia service entity upon graduation. An enhancement to the program was introduced that provides the added incentive for Concordia service entity employees to have the cost of their textbooks fully reimbursed at the conclusion of each semester, contingent upon the employee passing her/his assigned courses. Many current employees and new students have been recruited for the program, and as the program grows it can help provide Concordia supported organizations with a pipeline of outstanding nurses for years to come. During the year, members of the team also participated in a program to provide school backpacks to underprivileged children. Through the efforts of the Cabot, PA agency alone, over 200 backpacks were prepared for the program.”

“When a loved one needs hospice care - also referred to as comfort care when the option of curative treatment is no longer beneficial - many families are overwhelmed by the many options and decisions presented to them. At Concordia supported hospice entities, the organization takes a highly individualized approach to end-of-life care that serves the patient and his or her family with dignity and comfort. Concordia Hospice of Washington continues to have high average monthly referrals and continues to increase referral conversions from Concordia Visiting Nurses' palliative care patients. Good Samaritan Hospice's census remained steady, and it was able to take referrals and proceed with operations as usual. Good Samaritan Hospice physicians and nurse practitioners also utilized telehealth visits for hospice patients, a new practice for the agency that patients and family members greatly appreciated. The recruitment and retention of great employees continues to be a goal across all of Concordia's hospice companies. Good Samaritan Hospice supports staff as they train to become certified in hospice and palliative care and had three registered nurses and one licensed practical nurse become certified. The certifications not only help the employees but also help Good Samaritan Hospice offer the highest quality end-of-life-care possible. Concordia Hospice of Washington developed an improved orientation and onboarding process that helps new staff members thrive and also held weekly clinical education meetings to improve clinical outcomes. Good Samaritan Hospice and Concordia Hospice of Washington also held butterfly releases to celebrate the legacy of lost loved ones. Good Samaritan Hospice's Youth Bereavement Care program was designed to meet the needs of grieving children year-round instead of just during a once-a-year event, providing a variety of activities ranging from individual counseling to virtual programs and live events”

“In Concordia's and supported organization continuum of care, many different medical services are offered - both in-home or in one of the organization's facilities. Sometimes, however, seniors or people with limited abilities just need a helping hand. Contracts are important for a company like Concordia Private Care, as they define the flow of work and dictate what areas are covered. Each day, residents and patients at every level of Concordia's service entities have used CPC's services for short-term or long-term assistance when family or other help was hard to find - especially in retirement living. While CPC has always been a pivotal service line at other Concordia supported organizations, the importance of private care has been truly seen during the last few years. CPC staff continue to be a lifeline for many residents and patients, both at Concordia supported facilities and in the community, due to the companionship, care and wide array of services they provide. Concordia at Bethlen also offer private duty services to the residents at its Ligonier campus and Concordia of the South Hills added a private duty license to its service offerings as well”

“Angel Tear Ministries, Concordia Lutheran Ministries Foundation's mission outreach program, is a fund dedicated to supporting the underprivileged around the globe, primarily focusing on the proclamation of the Gospel. By tending to the needs of children and the elderly, training church workers, and providing access to food, water, shelter, medical, and Christian educational opportunities, Angel Tear Ministries provides for the physical, educational, and spiritual needs of God's children so that they may know Christ, grow in their faith, and serve our Lord. Angel Tear Ministries awarded over $2,000,000 in domestic and international grants in fiscal year 2024. Domestically, the grants are utilized to support Christian ministries, homeless shelters, soup kitchens, afterschool program, and a plethora of other ministries. The organization also has a passion to help those being affected by natural disasters and has issue countless grants to organizations affected by tornados, hurricanes, and other natural disasters. Sincere appreciation is extended to the donors who supported the organization's Angel Tear Ministries Fund through gifts to the Concordia Lutheran Ministries Foundation during the past year. Whether the donations are part of the Angel Tears program or are general donations from other subsidiary organizations that support Alzheimer associations, local little league teams, or volunteer fire departments, Concordia is committed to helping those in need and bettering the communities in which it operates. Support of this meaningful component of Concordia's mission has furthered the work of grantee organizations and their leaders as they serve in God's name - changing, shaping, and saving lives along the way.”