The panelists noted that small home designs are much better equipped to deal with the pandemic than larger environments and have fared much better than their counterparts in the mitigation of COVID.

The number of Green House facilities is small, with just over 300 facilities in several states, but we have enough information about their operations and costs to know that they can remain affordable.

Despite its size and variety of housing arrangements, Rest Haven of Holland has stayed clear of coronavirus in all three levels of care it provides.

Phillips said the entire staff and residents at the Green House Cottages of Southern Hills were tested in June, which was the second time they have been tested this year. She said all tests came back negative.

There have been a number of innovative models that have embraced this culture change in the U.S., Europe, Australia and recently in Ontario. Examples of these are the Eden Alternative, Green House Project, Butterfly Homes and Hogewey Villages.

The Green House model was first developed by Bill Thomas, a geriatrician who re-envisioned what home care means for elders. Instead of housing elders in a close-quarters space, the Green House model orients home care toward independence and freedom, while providing the optimum level of assistance.

“If I were going to do something different, I would have a nursing home that had enough staff around the clock, all the time,” said Wright, standing next to Dr. Danny Avula, director of the Henrico and Richmond Health Districts. “I would have a nursing home where everyone had private rooms. I would have a nursing home where there was greater access to the outdoors.”