Recently Promoted EVP and Medical Director Dr. Gil-Pires Leads a Team of Doctors Delivering World-Class, Person-Centered Care

ROCKVILLE, Md. – December 4, 2023 – Charles E. Smith Life Communities (CESLC) announced the recent promotion of Dr. Elisa Gil-Pires to executive vice president, medical affairs/chief medical officer and medical director of Charles E. Smith Life Communities. Dr. Gil-Pires leads a team of world-class doctors who still make house calls.

CESLC is one of the few senior living communities offering extensive medical care conveniently on their campus. Gil-Pires leads a team of five full-time internal medicine physicians who are employed by CESLC and specialize in treating older adults, along with a full team of medical consultants, including a psychiatrist, a physiatrist, a dentist, an optometrist, an audiologist and a dermatologist.

For Gil-Pires, providing such a comprehensive health and wellness care program for CESLC residents should be the standard instead of the exception. “At Charles E. Smith Life Communities, our medical practice focuses on treating the whole person, not just a set of diagnoses. We take the time to learn about the patient and their choices for the plan of care,” she said.

Dr. Gil-Pires and her team are wholly committed to delivering top medical care for seniors. The on-campus Hebrew Home of Greater Washington has a five-star overall quality rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The Hirsh Health Center, a primary senior care medical practice, is open to the public and, unlike many medical practices, is still welcoming Medicare patients and making house calls to those living on campus.

“The approach we take to care at CESLC reflects my vision of person-centered care,” said Dr. Gil-Pires. “I walk into a patient’s apartment and see black and white photos – I see their weddings, families and careers. Their story unfolds through their photographs. Seeing people as people, regardless of their age, is central to our mission and so important to empowering our residents.”

“What makes us unique on the CESLC campus is that I have a doctor managing each location – short-term rehabilitation, long-term care, outpatient, assisted living and memory care assisted living and our apartment residences. And there is a doctor on-premises six days a week,” she said. “No senior living campus in the DC Metro area offers this level of medical services, and our doctors still make house calls. House calls are invaluable to our residents, especially those in memory care who struggle with going out to see community doctors.”

Both residential and health services are spread across the 38-acre campus in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC. Skilled nursing care is through their Wasserman and Smith-Kogod Residences, with the Slavin Post-Acute Care Center at the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington; independent living at Revitz House and Ring House; assisted living at Landow House; memory care at Cohen-Rosen House and geriatric primary care at Hirsh Health Center. Also headquartered on their campus is SmithLife Home Care.

Dr. Gil-Pires’ interest in helping seniors started when she was 15, growing up in Connecticut, attending high school next door to a nursing home. As part of her National Honor Society service project, she volunteered in the recreation department at that nursing home. And one year later, they offered her a summer job. “I developed my passion for making a difference in the lives of seniors, and I wanted to pursue a career that would help me support that dream.”

In her present role, Gil-Pires oversees all clinical and administrative aspects of the senior living community’s medical services. She also serves as site director for the National Institutes of Health Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship program at CESLC, as well as site director for the Conway School of Nursing advanced nurse program at the Catholic University of America.

Board-certified in internal medicine, geriatric medicine and hospice and palliative care, Gil-Pires earned her medical degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine and completed her residency at the University of Maryland Medical System in Baltimore. Before joining CESLC, she served as chief of geriatrics and palliative care at Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford, CT.

For more information, visit https://www.smithlifecommunities.org/.

About CESLC

Charles E. Smith Life Communities (CESLC), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving more than 1,100 older adults, is located on a 38-acre campus in Rockville, Maryland. Established as the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington in 1910, CESLC is committed to providing residents meaningful connections, intellectual pursuits, artistic expression, active social lives and cultural exploration. CESLC offers independent living at Revitz House and Ring House; assisted living at Landow House; memory care at Cohen-Rosen House, with services including post-acute care and long-term skilled nursing care at Hebrew Home of Greater Washington; medical care at Hirsh Health Center; and temporary shelter and advocacy for victims of elder abuse at the ElderSAFE™ Center.

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Media Contact: Kenny Fried, EVP at Brotman | Winter | Fried, kfried@aboutbwf.com, 703-533-4832.