Twenty six years ago, in June 1994, my parents opened Alice Lorraine Care Center. ALCC was named for my great-grandmother, who moved into our house following a cardiac arrest and ensuing mental and physical frailty, and conceived of by my mother as a home for loved ones who couldn’t easily be cared for at their homes, but who also weren’t in need of the medical attention provided by a traditional nursing home. Over a quarter century later, we remain family-owned and operated and adhere to the same principles as always— that our residents be treated with dignity, compassion, and care, and that they live surrounded by love, beauty and smiling faces.

These past few months have tested us all in ways we have never been tested before. A frightening virus and disease, with no cure, forced us to close our doors to visitors—including family—in early March, even before Governor Whitmer declared a state of emergency. The decision to restrict social and physical interaction between our residents and their loved ones was an extremely difficult one, but one that has paid off. We have had NO cases or suspected cases of coronavirus in our facility, neither in our dedicated staff nor in our beloved residents. 

Early on, we instituted mandatory temperature checks for staff and residents, mask-wearing protocols, and rigorous cleaning and disinfecting policies— all while continuing to ensure the mental and emotional health of our residents through virtual and window visits with family and friends, inspiring and fun in-house activities and, most recently, a family drive-through parade. 

At Alice Lorraine Care Center, we are fortunate to be blessed with dedicated and caring staff—one of whom has been with us for these entire 26 years—understanding and compassionate family members, and patient, good-natured and healthy residents. We are also so proud to be community-oriented and family-owned; the daffodils that dotted our grounds and brightened the days of our “house-bound” residents this spring were planted last fall by myself and local school children. That we were able to quickly and effectively design and implement coronavirus safety measures is a direct result of collaboration between myself, our Executive Director and my sister, a doctor who worked with the city of San Francisco to coordinate their response to this new pandemic and public health challenge, and all of which was approved and overseen by my father, Dr. Shapoor Ansari, the owner and president of Alice Lorraine Care Center, and who has been a fixture in the Monroe medical and business community since the 1970s. 

As we continue to fight and face this unprecedented health challenge, rest assured that we at Alice Lorraine Care Center will continue to be vigilant and aggressive in protecting the health of our residents and staff, and, in doing so, do our best to help our entire local Monroe community stay safe and healthy. 

Thank you for letting us serve the community for so many years. We look forward to at least another 26 more.

Anna Ansari, Esq.

Vice-President, Alice Lorraine Care Center