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By EMILY SPARACINO | Staff Writer 

CHELSEA – The Chelsea City Council approved a proclamation designating November as National Home Care, Palliative and Hospice Month in Chelsea on Tuesday, Nov. 2.

Paige Landry, sales director and nurse with ExpectCare Hospice, spoke during the meeting about the locally owned, faith-based company, which provides various senior care services across six counties, including Shelby County.

“We are very passionate about extending that care (and) leading people to the hands and feet of Jesus,” Landry said. “That’s not just for the last breath, but during that journey and progression of their illness.”

According to the proclamation, 90 percent of Americans want to age in place, and home care is the preferred method of health care and delivery among the disabled, elderly and chronically ill individuals eager to live independently in their own homes as long as they possibly can.

“Home care services allow families to stay together and provide for greater health, dignity and comfort in our communities,” the proclamation read. “Home care in the United States is a growing alternative to hospitalization and other institutional-based forms of health care for acute and chronic illnesses, providing care to millions of Americans each year.”

Two million workers, including home care nurses, therapists and aids, will travel almost 2 billion miles to deliver care and provide professional support to millions of Americans in need of health care service, the proclamation read.

“I’m a nurse as well. I have rendered care to my own family, and being able to share this career with our communities is so important to us,” Landry said. “Thank you for honoring us tonight.”

In other business, the council approved a resolution authorizing the purchase of Delta Miscellaneous Receipting Software Module, followed by an ordinance authorizing the issuance of a General Obligation Warrant Bond Series 2021.

Brad Green with Raymond James said Chelsea was able to have its credit rating affirmed at AA, a “very high rating for any municipality in the state of Alabama.”

“We had to borrow $5.4 million, but we got $6 million for our borrowing,” Mayor Tony Picklesimer said. “Of that $6 million, $2.5 million will go to the second gym that we’ve been looking forward to at the community center. We’ve also managed the debt service so that in just a few short years, there will be plenty of capacity for another administration behind this one to continue to grow Chelsea when we need other things in our city.”