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Americare In The News

7/13/22: Michael Hammond Assumes President and COO Position at Americare Senior Living

July 13, 2022 — Americare Senior Living has announced that Michael Hammond has been promoted to President and COO. He succeeds Clay Crosson who retired after 21 years as president and COO.

Hammond has been with Americare for 17 years. He started as an administrator in the company’s skilled division, assumed an operations director role in the assisted living division and was named as a vice president of the division in 2020. 

He began his career in senior living right out of college, accepting an administrator in training position with Lifecare. He was recruited by Americare to lead the team at Quaker Hill Manor in Baxter Springs, Kansas. He was next tapped for a regional operations role in the assisted living division. Despite a demanding schedule, he completed his MBA during his tenure in that position, honing his finance and analytical skills. In 2020, Hammond assumed the VP position. 

“When I joined Americare, it was refreshing to be part of a culture that placed resources and decision making closer to the residents, valued and recognized hospitality, and championed person-centered care, all in a family setting. That culture is even stronger today and I will work hard to nurture it,” said Hammond. “The coming years in senior living will be exciting. More and more folks will be seeking out innovative quality senior living options. Yes, there will be challenges. But we at Americare are well-positioned to meet them.”

“Over the past 17 years I’ve watch Michael grow. He’s been very intentional about his professional development and he has experience on both sides of our business,” said Richard Montgomery, Chairman of the Board for Americare. “In Michael I see a leader capable of channeling the talent we have on our corporate leadership team and reaching into our organization to identify different skill sets to help us grow. Succession planning is part of a healthy organization.”

“I also want to thank Clay Crosson for his many contributions to our organization. I am very grateful for the leadership Clay provided the company over the past 21 years,” added Montgomery. “He helped us grow from a small regional provider to one of the country’s top 100 senior living organizations. During that time, he added talent to the organization to help us pursue opportunities and to meet the challenges that faced us. I am happy for him and his wife, Shelia, and I know they are ready to spend quality time with family, travelling and golfing.”   

About Americare: Since 1981 Americare has been providing high quality skilled nursing and senior living services. With nearly 4,000 residents and 4,000 care professionals, Americare is guided by a philosophy prioritizing the needs of residents and the employees who serve them. Now more than ever Americare has the experience that matters most to families and employees. For more information visit www.americareusa.net.

Contacts:

Patricia Cokingtin, Senior Vice President                        Ralph Berry

pcokingtin@americareusa.net                                         rberry@sullivanbranding.com

                                               

 

5/25/22: Americare Senior Living Again Designated a Great Place to Work-Certified™ organization

May 25, 2022 — Americare has once again participated in the Great Place to Work® surveys to measure its own progress and compare itself to other companies participating in the annual program. For 2022 results just released, Americare has recorded strong advances in virtually every category, and was again designated as a Great Place to Work-Certified™ organization. 

The Best Workplaces in Aging Services results are based on survey responses from more than 220,000 current employees at participating companies across the country. In the overall “survey title” measurement, 84 percent of Americare’s employees said Americare is a great place to work. This number is 27 percentage points higher than the average U.S. company, and an increase of 4 percentage points over last year. 

“To see that our dedicated employees think our company is a great place to work is one of the highest rewards we can have as a company. And that our overall score is so much higher than the national average is remarkable,” said Clay Crosson, President and Chief Operating Officer for Americare. “Our people make working at Americare communities across the mid-west a truly special experience every day. We celebrate and thank them for all they do to earn this incredible honor.”

On the all-important “trust index” of the survey, Americare earned an 80% score which is 4% higher than 2021 and 6% above the Assisted Living industry average. 

Among the other statistics in which Americare employees rated the company highly in the survey are:

  • 92% of employees say my work has special meaning: this is not "just a job."
  • 92% of employees say people are treated fairly regardless of their race or gender.
  • 91% of employees say this is a physically safe place to work.
  • 89 of employees say when I look at what we accomplish, I feel a sense of pride.
  • 88% of employees say I feel I make a difference here.
  • 88% of employees say people celebrate special events around here.
  • 88% of employees say when you join the company, you are made to feel welcome.
  • 87% of employees say I’m proud to tell others I work here.
  • 87% of employees say management trusts people to do a good job without watching over their shoulders

Great Place to Work is the only company culture award in America that selects winners based on how fairly employees are treated. Companies are assessed on how well they are creating a great employee experience that cuts across race, gender, age, disability status, or any aspect of who employees are or what their role is.

About Americare: Since 1981 Americare has been providing high quality skilled nursing and senior living services. With nearly 4,000 residents and 4,000 care professionals, Americare is guided by a philosophy prioritizing the needs of residents and the employees who serve them. Now more than ever Americare has the experience that matters most to families and employees. For more information visit www.americareusa.net. 

About Great Place to Work®: Great Place to Work® is the global authority on workplace culture. Since 1992, they have surveyed more than 100 million employees worldwide and used those deep insights to define what makes a great workplace: trust. Their employee survey platform empowers leaders with the feedback, real-time reporting and insights they need to make data-driven people decisions. Everything they do is driven by the mission to build a better world by helping every organization become a great place to work For All™. Learn more at greatplacetowork.com.

Contacts:

Patricia Cokingtin, Senior Vice President                        Ralph Berry

pcokingtin@americareusa.net                                         rberry@sullivanbranding.com

                                               

2/9/21: Americare Opens Henley Place of Neosho

February 9, 2021 (Sikeston, MO) – Americare today announced the opening of Henley Place of Neosho. Americare operates Senior Living, Assisted Living, Skilled Nursing and Memory Care across communities in Missouri, Kansas, Tennessee, Illinois, and Mississippi.

On February 1, the existing SpringHill Assisted Living community in Neosho became Henley Place of Neosho, a Senior Residence by Americare, the newest type of community offering from Americare.

“Americare has been part of the Neosho community since 1995, and over the years we have seen an increased demand for a more affordable, quality senior living product – so we went to work developing one,” said Mary Eaves, Vice President of Operations for Americare. “At Henley Place, residents will receive the same great customer service they have come to expect from an Americare community, complemented by a service package that promotes engagement with fellow residents with more self-directed wellness and family involvement.”

As a senior residence product, Henley Place will provide a modified level of services from those offered at SpringHill Assisted Living. This tailored service package includes three meals daily and an open cooked- to-order breakfast; activities planned with the assistance of the administrator and conducted by residents, volunteers and families; and 5-day a week licensed nursing with a focus on resident wellness and self-directed care plans.

Henley Place will be licensed as a residential care facility (RCF) by the State of Missouri. As such all residents will need to be capable of meeting a path to safety in case of emergency. No individual evacuation plans can be accommodated.

“Our goal with Henley Place is to create a community at a lower price point that offers just the right level of services for the customer looking for an exceptional healthcare value,” added Eaves. “We’ve compared Henley Place within Americare’s service line to the hotel industry. The Hilton line of hotels accommodates customers looking for enhanced services at its Grand Hilton hotels, and those who appreciate the value and scope of services offered at a Hampton Inn. All of the Hilton hotels are backed by a quality brand commitment – just like we offer with Americare. What has not been reduced in any way is the level of caring, a warm and homelike atmosphere, our customer service and our focus on health and wellbeing that is a hallmark of every Americare community whether it be independent living, senior living, assisted living or memory care.”

Prior to the conversion, Americare team members met with each resident and their family individually to determine if Henley Place is the right fit. Any resident needing or desiring a higher level of care or enhanced service package was advised on other Americare offerings in the area or given help in finding a community outside of the Americare family.

Americare plans to offer this new Henley Place product in communities throughout its service areas.

About Americare: Since 1981 Americare has been providing high quality skilled nursing and senior living services throughout the heartland. With nearly 4000 residents and 4000 care professionals, Americare is guided by a philosophy prioritizing the needs of residents and the employees who serve them. Now more than ever Americare has the experience that matters most to families and employees. For more information visit www.americareusa.net.

Contacts:

Patricia Cokingtin, Senior Vice President                        Ralph Berry

pcokingtin@americareusa.net                                         rberry@sullivanbranding.com

                                               

1/14/21: Mid-Missouri senior home has managed to keep all of its residents COVID-free

VIENNA — Administrators at Victorian Place of Vienna are able to make a statement most senior living communities can't make.

"We are very fortunate in that we have not had any residents with positive COVID tests."

Administrator Angela Reid says they follow all of the state guidelines and then some, "I don't know if you can tell or not, but we have two masks on. We have a KN95 and a surgical mask on over top of it, and we've been wearing two masks since last March."

The 16 senior residents at Victorian Place of Vienna have adapted to a very strict, but safe way of living.

"We've done things such as leave the mail out for 24 hours before we bring it into the building. Deliveries set out of the building for 24 hours," Reid added.

To keep their community COVID-free, all residents chose to get the vaccine.

Reid said the residents are ready for change, "There's some changes that will be coming after their second vaccination for social dining and visitors and things like that, so we're super excited about those changes that's going to be coming for us."

Director of Nursing Amanda Power said the pandemic has brought some tough times for the residents and their families.

"There have been some times where we've had residents tear up and become very sad that they're not able to go out and hug their family members or go stay over the holiday weekends like they normally would."

For that reason, Thursday's vaccine day was an exciting time for everyone.

"When I got here, I went around and talked to the residents and I said 'remember, this is the day we're going to do that first shot,' and they were really excited and they were like, 'oh, can I go and get it now?'" Power said with a smile.

Power said they're a close-knit group and they're all like family, "It comes down to that bond that we have with them, that they trust us to keep them safe."

Victorian Place officials also said they attribute their COVID-free success to employees following the rules closely both while at work, and even as they are off work and in the public.

https://krcgtv.com/news/local/mid-missouri-senior-home-has-managed-to-keep-all-of-its-residents-covid-free

12/27/20: New assisted living facility proposed in Jefferson City

A new assisted living facility is being proposed in Jefferson City.

Americare Senior Living, a Sikeston-based company that operates skilled nursing communities and assisted living facilities throughout Missouri, is proposing a new facility near West Edgewood and South Country Club drives.

Heather Westenhaver, development assistant with Americare Senior Living, said in an email the project will formally be presented to the state's Certificate of Need Committee on March 1. If approved, the facility will include 30 units and 40 beds, Westenhaver said.

The proposal includes having the company forfeit 15 beds from its Westbrook Terrace Assisted Living and Memory Care facilities, located on North Ten Mile Drive, according to a news release. According to data from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Westbrook Terrace Assisted Living currently has a 36-bed capacity, while the Arbors at Westbrook Terrace-Memory Care has a 26-bed capacity.

According to the news release, if the proposal is approved, Westbrook Terrace would "operate as a designated memory care assisted living facility." The Americare website states memory care facilities are dedicated to those with Alzheimer's disease or who are suffering from other memory loss.

"The company contends that this new assisted living facility will help to accommodate the changing needs and preferences of tomorrow's consumer, while offering additional care options for those residents in need of memory care services," the news release states.

The project also includes a plan for independent living cottages, both one and two-bedroom, and a clubhouse, though Westenhaver said that plan was separate from the proposal going to the committee.

https://www.newstribune.com/news/business/story/2020/dec/27/bizbeat-new-assisted-living-facility-proposed-in-jefferson-city/854152/

12/15/20: Americare is Actively Preparing for the COVID-19 Vaccine at Its Communities

December 15, 2020 (Sikeston, MO) — As the COVID-19 vaccine begins to be available, Americare, operators of Senior Living, Assisted Living, Skilled Nursing and Memory Care across Missouri, Kansas, Tennessee, Illinois, and Mississippi, is taking all necessary steps to ensure each community receives vaccines for residents and staff. In addition, the company and the communities are undertaking a proactive education campaign to provide as much information as possible so everyone can make an informed decision.

Americare has partnered with CVS and Walgreens was part of the federal roll-out program, depending on which pharmacy is more convenient for each facility.

Clinics will be established for administering the vaccine at each community and all residents and family members will be communicated with directly about those arrangements. Because the vaccine requires two doses administered approximately 21 to 28 days apart, each community will have two clinic dates set.

The educational outreach initiated by Americare in its communities to its residents and their families includes frequently asked questions about the vaccine components, the safety and path to approval, side effects, who can get the vaccine, procedures for vaccinations at each facility, and recommended continued safety procedures after the vaccine is received.

“Since this pandemic began last spring, Americare has taken an aggressive stance in protecting our residents and communicating openly with them and their families,” says Clay Crosson, President and Chief Operating Officer for Americare. “We are approaching the vaccine availability and administration with a proactive level of preparation and communication as well. We want to make sure everyone has all of the information required and that each facility is in a state of readiness.”

Even after the vaccine is administered Americare will continue to take all necessary precautions, including wearing of personal protective equipment, and conducting regular testing and temperature checks. Each community will work with public health officials to determine how and when to adjust policies for visitations and social activities after vaccines are administered.

For additional information on the Americare approach to COVID-19 visit www.americareusa.net/covid-19.

Contacts:

Patricia Cokingtin, Senior Vice President: pcokingtin@americareusa.net                                        

Ralph Berry: rberry@sullivanbranding.com 

10/5/20: Americare Communities Across the Country Are Active Hosts and Participants in Active Aging Week, October 5 through October 11

The Americare Focus is on Balanced Aging Across Seven Dimensions of Wellness

October 5, 2020 (Sikeston, MO) — Across its communities in Missouri, Kansas, Tennessee, Illinois, and Mississippi, Americare will be an active host and participant in the Active Aging Week (AAW) from October 5 through 11, sponsored by the International Council on Active Aging. AAW is a celebration of all the amazing things older adults do.

While exact activities will be customized to each Americare Community, each one will celebrate and focus on the company theme of Balanced Aging.

“We believe that the blueprint for wellness as a person ages is a balance between physical, emotional and spiritual focuses and activities that allow each individual to stay as active and engaged as possible for as long as possible,” said Mary Eaves, Vice President of Americare and leader of the company Active Aging Week. “We have a program across our facilities called Balance Academy that is designed to help seniors reduce falls by improving balance and improving confidence. As we thought about Active Aging Week this year, we thought the theme of ‘Balance’ was perfect, but expanded it to seven areas of focus.”

Each community will have programs and activities that address one or more of the seven dimensions of wellness – Physical, Emotional, Social, Intellectual, Spiritual, Environmental and Vocational.

“Through programs like this, we are evolving the care experience from being a Care Community who provides wellness to a Wellness Community who provides care,” added Eaves.

Physical Wellness promotes participation in personal safety and activities for cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, balance and flexibility. This is a multifaceted dimension relative to ability and disability.

Emotional Wellness promotes awareness and acceptance of one’s feelings and the degree to which an individual feels positive and enthusiastic about self and life. It involves the capacity to manage feelings and behaviors, self-acceptance, and coping with stress and life's challenges.

Social Wellness promotes creating and maintaining healthy relationships. It enhances interdependence with others and nature and encourages the pursuit of harmony and feelings of connectedness.

Intellectual Wellness promotes the use of one’s mind to create a greater understanding of appreciation of one’s self and others. It involves one’s ability to think creatively and rationally. This dimension encourages an individual to expand his/her knowledge and skills.

Spiritual Wellness promotes seeking meaning and purpose in human existence. It involves developing a strong sense of personal values and ethics and emphasizes an appreciation for the depth and expanse of life and natural forces that exist in the universe.

Environmental wellness promotes living in harmony with the earth by understanding the impact of your interaction with nature and personal environment and taking action to protect the world around you.

Vocational wellness promotes the process of determining and achieving positive personal and occupational goals and interest. This dimension is linked to discovering an individual’s “calling in life” and encourages one to be a good giver and receiver of Life’s gifts.

In addition to its own programs and activities at its communities, by serving as a host community for Active Aging Week, each Americare community can also select from a wide variety of nationally offered virtual activities and ideas. Visit www.activeagingweek.com for a glimpse of offerings.

8/24/20: Americare One of Only Nine Organizations to Wins Both Customer and Employee Approved Awards from NRC Health 

August 24, 2020 (Sikeston, MO) — Americare has earned both the 2020 Customer Approved and Employee Approved awards from Lincoln, Nebraska–based healthcare-intelligence firm NRC Health. The customer award recognizes senior-care organizations across the country for creating an outstanding care experience for their customers, and the employee award recognizes senior-care organizations across the country for engaging and inspiring their employees.

“It is an incredible honor to be selected for these awards as a Top 20 rated company out of 81 of the nation’s leading senior living providers across the country, says Clay Crosson, President and Chief Operating Officer for Americare. “Every member of the Americare team, from those providing direct care to residents at our 144 facilities, to those providing the support across the Americare system, is to be congratulated on this remarkable recognition. It is truly a stunning achievement in the senior-care industry, and a rare distinction. Only top-performing organizations, those with the highest percentage of positive ‘would recommend’ respondents, can qualify. It is the second year in a row for the Customer Approved Award for Americare and the first time for the Employee Approved Award.”

Only 20 Independent Living, Assisted Living, or Skilled Nursing organizations earned each of these remarkable distinctions, and only nine won both. Customer Approved Awards were selected according to the results from NRC Health’s 2019 Resident and Family Experience Survey, and Employee Approved Awards winners were selected according to the results from NRC Health’s 2019 Employee Experience Survey.

To qualify in the customer category, organizations must have a high percentage of respondents willing to recommend their locations to friends and family. To qualify in the employee category, organizations must have a high percentage of respondents willing to recommend their locations as places to work. This measure is known as the Net Promoter Score (NPS), and it strongly correlates with both customer satisfaction and enduring loyalty, or with employee engagement, organizational loyalty, and job satisfaction, respectively.

A complete list of Customer Approved and Employee Approved award-winners can be found here.

“These Customer Approved organizations have dedicated themselves to creating enriching experiences for each person they serve,” said Stephanie Kolbo, NRC Health’s Vice President of Business Development. “As the survey results show, their efforts have not gone unnoticed by residents and their family members. It’s NRC Health’s pleasure to recognize their achievement.”

“In senior living, employee culture makes all the difference,” continued Kolbo. “These Employee Approved organizations have developed working environments that both create and sustain employee engagement, so workers can dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to the people they serve. NRC Health commends these organizations for their dedication to their staff.”

About NRC Health: For more than 39 years, NRC Health (NASDAQ: NRC) has been committed to achieving human understanding and bringing healthcare organizations closer to their customers than ever before by illuminating and improving the key moments that define an experience and build trust. Guided by its uniquely empathic heritage, proprietary methods, skilled associates, and holistic approach, NRC Health helps its customers design experiences that exceed expectations, inspire loyalty, and improve wellbeing among patients, residents, physicians, nurses, and staff. For more information, call 800-388-4264, write to info@nrchealth.com, or visit www.nrchealth.com.

U.S. News Recognition

Congratulations to four Americare skilled nursing communities that have been recognized by U.S.News & World Report. The communities receiving the recognition for their short-term rehabilitation services are Neighborhoods Rehabilitation & Skilled Nursing by TigerPlace in Columbia, Missouri; Pleasant Valley Manor in Sedan, Kansas; Osage Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Osage City, Kansas; and Quaker Hill Manor in Baxter Springs, Kansas. Thank you to every member of our teams at these communities for their resident care and hard work that made this possible. To read about the properties in U.S.News & World Report visit these sites:

7/1/20: Connect and Communicate: Americare’s Aggressive Approach to Technology

All of us at Americare are proud of things being done within our company with technology to improve our residents’ lives and the quality of the services we can provide. The prestigious publication The Journal on Active Aging has published a special issue this month, and featured Americare and what we are doing across our company and within our facilities. Our own Jason Baxter, senior vice president of information technology, worked with the magazine to write this article.

We hope you find it interesting and informative. If you have any questions about any of the technologies discussed or any other topic that the article brings to mind, please do not hesitate to ask us.

You may view/download the PDF here: http://bit.ly/AmericareJournalOnActiveAging

7/1/20: Americare’s Aggressive Approach to Technology for Keeping Residents Engaged, Active and Connected to Family, and for Critical Medical and Equipment Data During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Americare operates Senior Living, Assisted Living, Skilled Nursing and Memory Care across 144 communities in Missouri, Kansas, Tennessee, Illinois, and Mississippi. In early March, when the signs of the COVID-19 pandemic were just beginning, Americare made the investments that have allowed their residents to stay connected with family and friends, even once quarantine procedures were required.

On March 13, all outside visitors to its facilities were discontinued and all group gatherings stopped. Americare believed that even though it was necessary to shut out visitors, that did not have to mean shutting down social and informational connections.

That meant an extensive investment in equipment, training and learning among staff and residents and families to ensure that residents did not feel isolated or cut off, and that families could feel connected and informed. It also meant an investment in training, protocols and tracking to stay ahead of potential issues across the company.

Among the investments were:

  • iPads shipped to every community for resident use and training of staff to help residents keep in touch with loved ones.
  • “Join Me” accounts for residents and families.
  • Extra training for the facility Lifestyle Teams on various communications.
  • Activity software on iPads and computers so residents can be physically active, mentally active and engaged through brain games and exercises.
  • Enabling staff remote access to all property systems to provide care and help properties creating less need for property visits.
  • Set up eFax capabilities to replace the multi-function device (print, scan, fax, copy) that is typically used by staff and residents thus eliminating potential cross contamination between non-COVID and COVID areas.
  • Gathered emails for all resident family members for updates.
  • Email protocols established and activated in any community with a COVID case to keep everyone informed (did not activate where there was no activity so as not to create alarm).
  • Creation of an “our community and COVID” channel for updates to families online in communities with COVID activity.
  • Developed a series of surveys and reports so the company and properties could see the impact/progression of the virus, staffing needs, PPE availability.
    • This snapshot allowed learnings from one community to be shared with others and ensured availability of people and equipment where needed when needed.
  • An aggressive local media outreach to ensure that when there was a COVID issue at a property, the media would have the facts and no need to bother staff or families, thus protecting everyone.
  • Extensive use of property level social media to give a window into the facility that helps ease the minds of families outside.

The actual medical equipment used was also upgraded for such items as vital signs monitoring so that taking vital signs and uploading them into systems was easier. This created more accessible data that gave a consolidated view for monitoring vitals and spotting areas of concern or trends in advance so that testing, treatment, and even quarantine decisions could be made faster and ahead of the virus’ potential progression.

“We believe the investments in technology made at the beginning of the pandemic and as we progressed through the months created an environment of communication to benefit the physical and mental health of residents and families, as well as creating lifestyle opportunities to keep residents engaged during this difficult time,” said Patricia Cokingtin, Senior Vice President of Americare. “In addition, our investments in staff training, software and database management put us in a position to identify issues and even potential issues and react to them in terms of supplies, personnel and evasive actions that we believe kept the virus contained within or even away from communities.”

For more information on how Americare facilities are addressing the coronavirus pandemic please visit our website at https://www.americareusa.net/covid-19.