The story of Goodwin Living is still being written. But we’d like to introduce ourselves and welcome you to our amazing family. Nearly 900 employees and more than 1,200 residents and members are proud to be part of our story today. We feel as connected with those who came before us as we are committed to those who will come after us.
In the 1950s, the Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Virginia acquired its first retirement home for older adults in Richmond. Inspired by this, Allen Adams, a layman serving on the home’s management committee, sought to create a similar, innovative community in Northern Virginia.
With a generous donation of land in West Alexandria from Adams’s friend, Benjamin M. Smith, in 1963, the plans to build Goodwin Living were underway. When Goodwin House Alexandria opened in 1967, it was one of the first purpose-built continuing care communities in the country and the first in Northern Virginia. Twenty years later, following the success of Goodwin House Alexandria, a second community opened in Bailey’s Crossroads, a growing suburban neighborhood in Falls Church, VA.
We’re proud of this legacy of leadership and innovation as we continue to reimagine and redefine aging, both within our communities and beyond their walls. We do this by focusing on the future and expanding the places and ways we serve and engage older adults.
I put our mission and values into action every day during interactions with residents and staff. Focusing on how I can raise them up and create a culture of mutual respect has a positive impact on all of us.
– Karen Doyle, Administrator of Health Services Goodwin House Bailey’s Crossroads
This includes modern physical expansions, such as our pioneering Small House Health Care Center at Goodwin House Alexandria, which opened in 2017. It also means we try to look beyond our communities to see how we can better serve the region, with programs like Goodwin Living at Home. In addition, Goodwin Living is the management agent for The Lewinsville Retirement Residence, Inc., which serves low-income older adults in the McLean, VA area.
In 1989, we established Goodwin Living Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization supporting residents and employees. The Foundation supports initiatives like the Fellowship Program, which ensures no resident has to leave Goodwin Living because of a lack of funds.
We created Goodwin Living Palliative Care and Hospice in 1997 to provide this type of care to residents. We later expanded the program, and today, our highly skilled professionals provide hospice care outside of our residential communities throughout Northern Virginia. Goodwin Living also undertakes a rigorous accreditation program because we hold ourselves to the highest level of care possible.
The Goodwin Living family takes care of its own. We offer training programs like our Emerging Leaders Program, provide financial aid and scholarship programs and include other benefits for team members. And we are rewarded in return. In 2019, Goodwin Living was named one of the top 10 places to work in the Washington, D.C. area by The Washington Post.