“The Mission of Kateri Residence is to provide loving care to all residents in a manner that bespeaks respect, compassion, sensitivity and concern.” Kateri provides long-term care and rehabilitation services to the middle aged and senior populations. We value the generosity of our Volunteers as they make a difference in the lives of the residents.

Description:
Kateri Residence is a JCAHO-accredited, 520-bed, skilled nursing and sub-acute rehabilitation center located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. We provide long-term skilled nursing and dementia care services to senior citizens and sub-acute rehabilitation services (physical, occupational and speech therapies) to all adults. Volunteers are involved in almost every department within the facility.

History:
Kateri Residence was established in 1981 under the sponsorship of The Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York. The birth of Kateri Residence arose from the kind and gentle heart of Terence Cardinal Cooke, Archbishop of New York from 1968 to 1983.

Prior to 1981, the building and operations were owned by a proprietary operator. Built in the mid-1920s as an apartment-hotel complex, the building’s interior structure and facilities were converted in 1971 into a nursing home facility. During the mid to late 1970s, the facility’s operators encountered regulatory problems with the State of New York, and the facility was placed in receivership. The facility continued to have operating problems and closing was imminent. At this point in time, the Department of Health, in its endeavor to ensure continuity of care for 520 elderly residents and job continuation for a staff of over 500, approached the Archdiocese of New York about taking over the facility.

The late Terence Cardinal Cooke assigned the arduous task of saving the nursing home to Monsignor James J. Murray and the late Reverend Donald J. Poulin of Catholic Charities. Catholic Charities submitted a plan in Federal Court and to the State of New York Department of Health under which, with new financing, the nursing home would remain open and the residents’ future assured with a new not-for-profit corporation and a new administration. The plan included a commitment to immediate renovations in the amount of two million dollars without any interruption in the care of the 520 residents.

On September 28, 1981, ownership and operations were assumed by Kateri Residence, a new corporation, sponsored by The Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York. Cardinal Cooke named the facility for Kateri Tekakwitha, an Algonquin-Mohawk Indian who was born in Auriesville, New York, and who died in 1680 after suffering severe persecution for her faith. His Eminence Terence Cardinal Cooke chose Kateri Tekakwitha to be Patroness after His Holiness John Paul II beatified her on June 22, 1980.

In October, 1987, a major modernization program commenced. Funds for this program came from a refinancing package which included 13.5 million dollars for renovations. The program included a complete refurbishing and refurnishing of all resident units and most of the support service areas; extensive exterior masonry and roofing repairs; and electrical and plumbing upgrades.

In 1999, another phase of the ongoing improvements commenced. In this phase, the building was air-conditioned and all seven outdated elevators were replaced at a cost of over 10 million dollars.

In 2004, we completed construction of our new Solarium on the 16th Floor of our building for the year-round usage of our residents.

Over the period of our relatively brief history, Kateri Residence has become a major resource in the provision of quality health care in New York City, and doing so in a homelike atmosphere.

Contact person: Mary Fisher-O'Brien, Director Of Volunteer Services, (646) 505-3536, (email)
Office fax number: (212) 873-0658

Address:

150 Riverside Drive New York, NY 10025 (See a map)

Directions:

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION • #1 Train to 86th Street. Walk one block north to 87th Street and two blocks west to the corner of Riverside Drive. Our entrance is on 87th Street. • M86 Crosstown Bus runs from Yorkville to West 86th Street.. . . (more)   Nearest Metro/Subway Stop: #1 Train to 86th Street.,   Walk distance (in minutes): 5 mins.   Nearest Bus Stop: M86 Crosstown Bus/last stop, less than 5 mins. minute walk