Albany Senior AdvisorBy Albany Senior Advisor Care Team · September 22, 2026
Eddy SeniorCare, part of St. Peter's Health Partners, is the PACE program for listed ZIP codes in Albany, Schenectady and Rensselaer counties. It combines a care team, a day center, home care and transportation for people 55 and older who need a nursing home level of care. Check eligibility at (518) 539-4986.
What PACE is
PACE, the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, is a federal and state model in which one organization takes responsibility for a participant's medical care and long-term care. A single interdisciplinary team, usually including a physician, nurses, social workers, therapists, aides and drivers, plans and delivers everything: primary care, specialist referrals, prescriptions, adult day center visits, home care, equipment and, when needed, hospital and nursing home care.
In New York, PACE counts as one kind of Managed Long Term Care plan. For someone who has both Medicare and Medicaid, it replaces the usual patchwork of plans and agencies with one team that answers the phone.
Who can join
Participants must be 55 or older, live in the program's service area, be assessed as needing a nursing home level of care, and be able to live safely in the community with PACE's help when they enroll. Most participants are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, which means PACE costs them nothing out of pocket; people who are not Medicaid-eligible can join by paying a monthly premium for the long-term care portion.
Enrollment is voluntary, and participants can leave. While enrolled, they generally use PACE's own doctors and contracted providers.
Where Eddy SeniorCare reaches
St. Peter's Health Partners lists Eddy SeniorCare's service area by ZIP code: ZIP codes in Albany County (12047, 12110, 12183, 12189, 12202-12211), Schenectady County (12008, 12150, 12302-12309) and Rensselaer County (12061, 12144 and parts of 12180 and 12182).
| County | Covered (per the program's ZIP list) | Not covered |
|---|---|---|
| Albany | City of Albany ZIP codes 12202-12211, plus 12047 (Cohoes), 12110 (Latham), 12183 (Watervliet) and 12189 (Watervliet/Colonie) | Bethlehem, Guilderland, the hilltowns and other ZIP codes |
| Schenectady | 12008, 12150 and 12302-12309 | Duanesburg, Princetown and other rural ZIP codes |
| Rensselaer | 12061, 12144, parts of 12180 and 12182 | Most of the county east of the Greenbush towns |
| Saratoga, Warren, Washington, Columbia, Greene, Schoharie | No ZIP codes | No PACE program |
Because the boundary runs by ZIP code, two neighbors in the same town can fall on different sides of it. Call before assuming.
How a typical week looks
Many participants spend two or three days a week at a PACE center, where they see the clinic team, take part in activities, eat a meal and receive therapy, with door-to-door transportation. On other days, aides may come to the home for bathing and personal care. The team adjusts the schedule as needs change, and a nurse is on call around the clock.
For a family caregiver, the practical change is that one team coordinates the appointments, prescriptions and rides that used to fill the calendar. For the participant, it often means fewer hospital trips because problems are caught at the center.
How enrollment works
The process starts with a call to the program, which checks the address against its ZIP list and asks about health, daily needs and insurance. A home visit and an assessment at the center follow, and for Medicaid enrollees the state's eligibility requirements for community long-term care also apply. Once accepted, enrollment typically starts on the first day of a month, and the participant's prior Medicare and Medicaid plans are replaced by the PACE plan.
Families should gather a current medication list, recent hospital discharge papers and insurance cards before the first call. If Medicaid is not yet in place, the county Department of Social Services handles that application in parallel.
Questions to ask before switching
Ask which doctors the participant would see, whether current specialists can continue, how often the participant would attend the center, what transportation looks like in winter, and how after-hours problems are handled. Ask what happens if the participant moves outside the ZIP list or needs nursing home care later.
Ask, too, how the program works with family caregivers: whether there are caregiver meetings, respite options and a single contact person. The best PACE experiences tend to come from families who understand from the start that the team, not the old primary care office, is now in charge of care.
Is PACE the right choice?
PACE tends to suit someone with several chronic conditions who wants to stay home, has a caregiver or a safe living situation, and is willing to switch to the program's doctors. It suits people less well if they are deeply attached to a specialist outside the network or live outside the ZIP list.
If PACE is not available or not a fit, other Managed Long Term Care plans, CDPAP and EISEP can pay for help at home. The county Office for the Aging, or NY Connects at 1-800-342-9871, can walk through the options; in Albany County the Department for Aging is at (518) 447-7198.
Frequently asked questions
What does PACE cost?
For people with both Medicare and Medicaid there is generally no cost; others can join by paying a monthly premium for the long-term care portion.
Can a PACE participant live in assisted living?
PACE is designed for people living in the community; ask the program how it works with a participant who moves into an assisted living residence.
Does PACE cover nursing home care?
Yes, if a participant eventually needs it, PACE arranges and pays for nursing home care as part of the plan.
Is there PACE in Saratoga or Warren County?
Not at present; Eddy SeniorCare's service area covers listed ZIP codes in Albany, Schenectady and Rensselaer counties.
