Bill Pierce, president of Baptist Village Communities (BVC), has been elected chair of the Oklahoma Long Term Care Services and Supports Advisory Committee. The committee will develop a long range strategic plan for senior services in Oklahoma.

Members of the committee have been appointed by the governor, senate president pro tempore and speaker of the house. Pierce was appointed by Oklahoma State Senator Greg Treat.

Bill Pierce

The committee will formulate and recommend a long-term strategy for serving seniors in Oklahoma including the identification of possible sources of stable, sustainable funding to support projected growth.

The 85+ age population in the United States is expected to triple in future years, according to the AARP Public Policy Institute. This population is most likely to need long term services and support to help with everyday tasks. The demographic shift will have a profound impact on family caregiving.

“All of us can do so much to help seniors as they age,” Pierce said. “This framework for the future will assist churches and families in ministering to their members and loved ones. We are all really pioneers who are working to shape the future of aging services.”

Pierce has served two terms as president of LeadingAge Oklahoma and has served on the board of directors of LeadingAge, the national organization. He was appointed by the governor to serve on the Long Term Care Task Force where he chaired the case-mix payment committee and co-chaired the committee to formulate a comprehensive state plan for long term care. He served as chairman of the Oklahoma Health Care Authority nursing home funding committee. Pierce serves as vice-chair of the Oklahoma Board of Examiners for Long Term Care Administrators.

Baptist Village Communities owns and operates 12 communities, located throughout Oklahoma. The Oklahoma City and Owasso Villages are the largest senior living communities in Oklahoma. BVC serves more than 2,300 people each day and offers many services. This includes Entrusted Hearts by Baptist Village, a home and community based ministry that includes home health services, case management and medical equipment.

For more information, visit www.baptistvillage.org.