Soft-drink bottlers and fast-food restaurants have long known the value of currying the favor of young customers, who often turn out to be loyal to their brands well into adulthood. St. Barnabas Health System seems to be taking a page out of that marketing book.
St. Barnabas, known best for its extensive housing and health services aimed at the elderly, is trying to attract some “youngsters.”
It looks like a smart move, since the health system is playing to its strengths while reaching out to a slightly different and more affluent segment of the growing elderly population.
To bring the younger retiree population into its system, St. Barnabas is building the Woodlands at St. Barnabas, a complex of single-story homes on a 42-acre site on its Valencia Woods Nursing Center campus. The system broke ground last month on the first four-unit structure, expected to be completed by September. Seven additional buildings are in the plan, which will mean a total of 32 homes in the development.
St. Barnabas says the attraction will be the low-maintenance requirements, housekeeping services and accessibility to the restaurant and social activities at The Village at St. Barnabas, its 252-unit community for people over the age of 65.
St. Barnabas also will have an opportunity to cultivate a group of retirees who, as they age, will likely need additional services and may find comfort in assimilating into other parts of its health system, such as The Village at St. Barnabas.
