About The GreenFields

History of Niagara Lutheran Health System

When founded in 1956, the Niagara Lutheran Home was the first free-standing nursing home in New York State. Today, the Niagara Lutheran Health System is a network of organizations which employs more than 500 dedicated people.

The Niagara Lutheran Home at 64 Hager St. on Buffalo’s East Side was founded by The Lutheran Council on the Niagara Frontier. After looking for existing buildings to remodel, the Lutheran Council decided to build a brand-new home, and the board of directors of the Lutheran Church Home of Buffalo, located at 217 E. Delavan, voted to transfer ownership of a parcel of land around the corner on Hager Street for the new home. The Niagara Lutheran Home admitted its first patients on July 9, 1956.

In 1990, Niagara Lutheran began operating the Niagara Lutheran Delaware Home at 1040 Delaware Ave. in Buffalo, in addition to the Hager Street facility.

In the mid 1990s, Niagara Lutheran’s Board of Directors focused on developing a continuing care community in Western New York, where various levels of senior care would be provided on a single campus. In 1996, the Niagara Lutheran Health System was incorporated, and 52 acres of farmland on Broadway in Lancaster was purchased to become the location for The GreenFields.

On October 2, 1998, 120 residents from the Niagara Lutheran Delaware Home were moved into their new home. The Niagara Lutheran Delaware Home was then closed, with its operations transferred to GreenField Health & Rehabilitation Center.

Following the opening of GreenField Health & Rehabilitation Center, the next phase of campus development began, consisting of residential apartments at GreenField Manor and assisted living apartments at GreenField Court. The first residents moved into the Manor and Court in October 2001.

In 2006, The Lutheran Church Home of Buffalo joined the Niagara Lutheran Health System. In 2013, GreenField Terrace memory care and enhanced assisted living facility opened as the new Lutheran Church Home.

In December 2015, an era came to an end as the Niagara Lutheran Home & Rehabilitation Center was sold. The low Medicaid reimbursement situation made it very difficult for Niagara Lutheran to continue the cost-effective operation of the facility.

2019 marked another significant year for Niagara Lutheran Health System as construction began on two different projects on The GreenFields Continuing Care Community campus. GreenField Health & Rehabilitation Center’s expansion includes the addition of 24 new private rooms and the conversion of 24 existing semi-private rehab rooms to private rooms.  The GreenField Childcare & Wellness Center offers on-campus childcare and fitness center for employees and residents.

In 2020, great progress was made toward the goal of having two of Western New York’s leading not-for-profit providers of senior care services–Niagara Lutheran Health System and Schofield Care—join forces to create a new organization, called Lineage Care Group. Weinberg Campus joined this affiliation in 2023.

Increasing financial pressures throughout the senior care industry have led to the closure or sale of 21% of New York State’s non-profit skilled nursing facilities over the past five years. Although each organization has managed to stay ahead of this trend, a proactive approach is needed to ensure financial viability into the future. For this reason, a new corporate entity, called Lineage Care Group, has been formed as the parent organization for this strategic alliance. The creation of Lineage Care Group will empower our organizations to deliver high-quality care more efficiently by enabling us to share clinical guidelines, maximize Medicaid reimbursement, and reduce combined overhead costs.

The full continuum of services provided by this group exceeds that of any other organization in Western New York. Together, we are better equipped to increase satisfaction and connectivity for residents, families, employees, and the community at-large.

The advantages of not-for-profit, community-owned organizations are considerable, vs. the for-profit alternative. For-profit providers maximize profit to generate financial returns for investors, keeping costs low and patient volume high, at the expense of quality care and resident and staff satisfaction. Not-for-profit senior care providers like Niagara Lutheran, Schofield, and Weinberg re-invest their profits into their operations and communities, for superior clinical outcomes and better patient, staff, and community welfare.

In October of 2021, GreenField Manor and GreenField Court Celebrated their 20^th Anniversary. In 2023, GreenField Manor was completely redesigned and remodeled and now features a brand-new lobby and the Creekside Bistro.

The Niagara Lutheran Health System’s long-range plans include the purchase of land or property for creation of new campus for mission development initiatives, including the possibility of market-rate or affordable senior housing, and further development of community outreach programs.