Pinecrest Farms: Over 150 Years of evolving care and Community support

Pinecrest Farms has a long and interesting past in Midland County. The current 60-bed assisted living facility has gone through many changes in location and services since its inception in 1865. But its purpose has remained steadfast - to provide a home, resources and care for those in need throughout Midland. 

The county has continued its commitment to providing care for residents in need with voters approving a millage renewal and an increase in August. Taxpayer funds pay for building operations and maintenance. 

Pinecrest Farms, located at 413 N. Homer Rd., opened the latest iteration of the facility in 2010 following voter approval of a 20-year millage for construction and staffing in 2007. The $7 million facility is situated on 160 acres of land, the campus features fields, woods, crops, and a pond, providing various outdoor recreational activities.

Pinecrest Farms Administrator Kory Priest considered the millage campaign a chance to educate the community about the facility and the opportunities available to people in need of long-term care. 

“Most of our residents consider Pinecrest home,” says Priest. “Some have lived here for more than 20 years.”

The diverse group of residents range in age and needs, from elderly to developmentally disabled. The youngest residents are in their 20s. Priest estimates almost 50 percent of their current residents are under the age of 50. 
Katy Kildee
“Our goal is not to compete with other assisted living facilities in the community,” says Priest. “Our residents must be able to self-transfer and be ambulatory, getting themselves in and out of a chair and bed.” 

Pinecrest specializes in providing assisted living care under the direction of a Director of Nursing and 24-hour LPN supervision to medically complex, frail and elderly, Alzheimer’s and Dementia, mentally ill, and developmentally delayed residents. The 60-bed facility offers both private and semi-private rooms. 

Growing up in the Midland area, Priest recalls tales his grandparents told about Pinecrest’s storied past. Originally called The Midland County Poor Farm, the facility housed the county’s “poor and unfortunate”. 

Poor farms were common back then with most counties in Michigan supporting such facilities for indigent citizens. The farm included 80 acres, a nine room farmhouse, barn and several outbuildings. The residents helped work the farm as able and received shelter, food, clothing and healthcare. Midland’s Poor Farm was originally located on Samuel P. Chapman’s farm on the bank of the Tittabawassee River in Midland Township. The county purchased the family farm for $2,500 in 1865. PinecrestResidents gather to enjoy a pig roast

By the early 20th century, Midland County's Poor Farm was in need of new facilities after nearly 40 years of use. In 1900, plans were unveiled to build a new, more efficient County Poor Farm near the existing site on Gordonville Road, but financial constraints delayed construction for several years. Work finally began in 1914. 

In 1920 the Midland County Poor Farm housed nearly 40 residents from diverse backgrounds. By the 1940s, its operations had evolved into a hospital-like facility, offering convalescent care for the elderly to meet the community's changing needs. In the early 1960s, Consumers Power Company purchased the Poor Farm's location for the construction of a nuclear power plant. Midland County then established a new facility, known as "Pinecrest," on West Olson Road to replace the former Poor Farm.

Pinecrest Farms moved into its current building in 2009. Today the facility boasts 24/7 assisted care, with qualified staff providing medication management, meals, and housekeeping promoting independence for residents while also catering to other personal needs. 

Activities and outings are offered regularly, connecting with local organizations like Creative 360 to provide art classes, attending Loons baseball games, MSU Extension Office nutrition expertise and vouchers to shop the Farmer’s Market. 
Priest, who’s worked in healthcare since 1998, finds it encouraging when meeting families with needs and seeing their relief in learning they can get the help they need at Pinecrest Farms. 

For information on Pinecrest Farms contact Kory Priest at (989) 832-6634.