Virginia Health Services

Congratulations to our most recent Gloucester apprenticeship program graduates! Jordan Hudnall, Kaeli Key and Candi Lewis graduated from Care Assistants to Nurse Aides during a ceremony Tuesday, and will remain on the Walter Reed team. They will prepare to take the certification exam to be CNAs. The earn-as-you-learn apprenticeship program covers about six weeks of classroom and skills lab training, in addition to on-the-floor work, and covers the cost of the exam. The students brought a sense of humor to the class, said Training and Education Coordinator Tracy Williams, MSN, BSN, RN. “This was a very special class for me. They all learned quickly, and excelled in clinicals and the classroom portion of the class,” Tracy said. Walter Reed Administrator Bryant Hudgins welcomed friends and family to the ceremony. “I started in the CNA class back in the stone age,” Bryant joked, “and it catapulted my career.” Jordan earned the Champion Award for excelling in class and connecting with the residents. Candi was salutatorian and Kaeli was awarded valedictorian for top marks. “I was extremely nervous — kind of like I am right now — and worried I would fail, but I was wrong. With the help of amazing teacher and two equally amazing classmates, I watched my confidence increase week after week,” Kaeli said in her valedictorian speech. “… Thank you, VHS, for offering this program, Tracy for being the best teacher we could have, and Candi and Jordan for being so supportive and all the laughs. We did it.” The next Gloucester class is slated for Aug. 5-Sept. 12. Read more about the class and how to apply for the program at https://lnkd.in/eRHnkths #apprenticeships #cnajobs #nursingjobs #nursingcareers

Our communities wish you a Happy Independence Day! There was a team member cookout at Lancashire Nursing and Rehabilitation Center and a full on celebration at The Hamilton Assisted Living. Their mobility devices were decked out with patriotic decorations. There were goodie bags, strawberry shortcake, flags courtesy of Home Instead, and patriotic tunes from Dan Smith with Tidewater Arts Outreach. Donations from friends, family and the community helped make the day special. We hope everyone has a safe and healthy Fourth of July!

Applications are now open for the Gloucester earn-as-you-learn apprentice class starting in August. The apprentice program graduates Care Assistants to Nurse Aides and covers the cost of the state certification exam to be a CNA. Graduates go on to be team members in our nursing and rehabilitation centers. The Gloucester class is held at Walter Reed Nursing & Rehabilitation Center. Learn more and apply at vahs.com/apprenticeship. #apprenticeship #cnajobs #cnacareers

VHS President and CEO Mark Klyczek was included in an article from Becker's Healthcare, "From AI to Telehealth: 82 Healthcare Leaders Discuss Emerging Trends." Mark says value-based care and top-line revenue growth are the top two trends VHS is following, with multiple value-based care opportunities emerging in Virginia. "Virginia has prioritized value-based care in skilled nursing facilities, which is the best way to reward high-performing organizations and incentivize organizations to improve," he says. "... These types of programs are vital to grow our top-line revenue as expense increases remain sticky and do not show any signs of improving in the short term. Our strategy of top-line revenue growth has significantly mitigated the expense increases and when our expense reduction strategies take hold, our top-line revenue will already be growing and healthy." Value-based care, the use of AI, veterans healthcare, staff recruitment and retention, and telehealth were other trends included in the piece. The leaders, including Mark, will be featured speakers at the Becker's 12th Annual CEO + CFO Roundtable conference in November. Read what they all had to say: https://lnkd.in/gHGMsxG5 #BeckersHealthcare #thoughtleadership

A few of our residents at The Arbors Independent Living braved the heat and humidity to walk for Alzheimer's awareness with VHS Rehabilitation Administrative Assistant Victoria today. They walked around the Port Warwick neighborhood and along Styron Square before returning for hydration and yogurt parfaits. June is Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month. According to research by the Alzheimer's Association, about 1 in 9 people age 65 and older has Alzheimer’s dementia. Learn more on how to spot warning signs and get caregiver support at alz.org. #alzheimersawareness

Congratulations to Michelle Thompson on 25 years of service with Virginia Health Services this month! Michelle oversees the 14-member MDS team. MDS stands for Minimum Data Set, and the information the team gathers from resident and team member interviews, assessments and the residents’ medical records for a specific time frame provide a basic summary of a resident’s current status. The assessment is the basis for Medicaid/Medicare reimbursement, quality measures and is used to develop and adjust the residents’ care plans. She joined VHS as a part-time floor nurse at York Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Over the course of her first five years, she moved to full-time as a charge nurse, head nurse, supervisor at James River and unit coordinator at York. The she joined the MDS team and “has been all over” the organization. Michelle went back to nursing school to receive her RN license when she was 55. “With perseverance — and a little nudge from her former supervisor, Joyce Lyons — Michelle advanced her nursing career to become a RN while working full time,” said Jennifer Dick, VHS Vice President of Quality and Clinical Revenue Integrity. “Her journey with VHS is marked by her strong knowledge and leadership — setting a standard of excellence and reaching for those quality stars!” Michelle attributes the company’s scheduling flexibility as one reason why she has stayed 25 years with VHS. She also has found support in career development, now overseeing a “great team that looks out for one another and supports each other.” She moved to MDS because she wanted to try something new and learn something different while still interacting with residents. “I feel comfortable dealing with the elderly, with dementia; I think they need a lot of support. Families can be spread so far out, it’s good to have somebody to look out for them. I just feel very comfortable with the population,” she says. “I enjoy looking out for the patients. When we review charts for MDS, we notice things and point out things to the staff or doctor that we notice is going on in the background.” Members of the MDS team – because they spend so much time with patient charts – are able to spot behavioral and other trends in patients. They are able to see the bigger care picture and can provide insight to patients’ providers and the center’s nursing team. They also make sure Medicare and Medicaid guidelines are adhered to — making sure the quality of care matches the parameters that need to be met. “It’s like a puzzle, she says. “We try to get the best reimbursement we can without compromising the patient.” One of the biggest changes she’s witnessed in her job over 25 years was the switch from paper medical records to electronic ones.

Our communities commemorated Juneteenth in a number of ways. Gentleman DJ led our York and Hamilton communities in celebration with dancing to all of the residents' favorite songs. Residents at The Arbors Independent Living watched a documentary on the significance of the holiday and enjoyed a buffet, and residents at Coliseum received informational and fun activity packets to further explain Juneteenth. #Juneteenth #seniorliving

Congratulations to Ariane Minette, LMSW, who recently was promoted to Director of Operations for VHS Home Health Care and VHS Hospice! Ariane will oversee the day-to-day operations of both home and community-based services. She started with VHS Hospice in social work. She also oversees the Hospice volunteer program and is a field instructor to master's program students in social work. She and her dog Darby are spending extra time in the office getting to know both teams better. “It’s a great opportunity,” she says. “It’s a learning curve for sure, but so, so phenomenally lucky to have amazing staff on both home health — which is so established and doing a great job — and hospice.” Ariane still visits patients — “they’re my heart, my soul. That’s why we’re all here, that’s my drive,” she says. “I love touching base with my patients and seeing how all this impacts them. It’s always humbling.” Her main focuses right now are understanding the foundation, evaluating policies and practices to see if they are the best and most efficient ways of doing things, growing census, and focus on how the team works together to be cross-sectional. “It’s a really exciting time right now, in terms of where healthcare is,” she says. “I truly, truly believe in the home aspect of home health and hospice — being where you are. It doesn’t have to feel so medicalized and pull you away from people you love. I truly believe in bringing healthcare to the home. I see how well we do it, and how well we can continue to do it, so I want to be able to get people to understand how it helps them. … I want to help the people and give them the things they need.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/egAvWgqa

We're excited to share five of our communities have been recognized as 2024 recipients of the Bronze – Commitment to Quality Award by the AHCA/NCAL for their commitment to improving the lives of residents through quality care. This distinction is the first of three progressive award levels through the AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program. Congratulations to the The Newport, Northampton and Walter Reed Nursing and Rehabilitation Centers, and The Hamilton and The Huntington Assisted Living communities! They are among the state’s 17 Bronze award recipients. “We are proud to have The Newport, Northampton, Walter Reed, The Hamilton and The Huntington as recipients of the national Bronze award for quality. Our team is committed to providing the highest quality care possible to our residents at our nursing and rehabilitation centers and assisted living communities, and this recognizes all they do to honor that commitment,” said VHS President and CEO Mark Klyczek. Celebrations will be held at each community in the coming weeks. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eHD3Ecd8

Congratulations on 30 years with us, Tamara Brown-Stevens (affectionately known as Big Mama)! We love we get to celebrate this milestone anniversary during CNA Week. Big Mama joined the team at James River fresh out of the CNA program through the former Career Development program in Newport News. She has worked in six of VHS’s seven nursing and rehabilitation centers, but for the most part, been at James River. “I’ve always been a CNA. I came in as a scared CNA and was on Monticello unit at James River,” she says. “There were some tough women there. I had a mentor - mentor program was great – and it wasn’t a senior aide, but Janice Sawyer … we still keep in touch. “I’ve been around, spreading my love.” She was nicknamed “Big Mama” by a resident, and it stuck. “I don’t pick up my feet; you can hear me coming from a mile away,” she says with a laugh. “Everybody knows me as Big Mama.” She originally thought she would pursue nursing, but is hesitant to prick anyone with a needle. “You wouldn’t want that for your loved ones. I’m happy being an aide. I love people and I know how to give respect, patience – a lot of patience,” she says. Her advice to incoming CNAs is to love the senior population. “The main reason for being here is the residents,” she says. “Love the elderly population. Try to be a good team player – sometimes it’s hard … but you have to have patience and be respectful.” There are former residents’ family members who keep in touch with her, continuing to thank her for the care and compassion she provided during their time at James River. She gets cards, letters, and runs into them in the community. In 30 years, she has often unofficially served as a mentor for new CNA team members, including VHS Director of Education Princess Henderson, RN, BSN. “Thinking back to my first day working with Big Mama, I thought I was the boss on Jefferson unit. I quickly learned that she was old school and had a lot of knowledge that would help me become a better CNA,” Princess said. “I worked with her through nursing school and she was one of my biggest supporters at James River. She continuously lets me know how proud she is of me!” Big Mama will tell you she is “fanatical” about making sure residents in her care are clean and smell good — “I carry a bag of soaps and lotions with me everywhere,” she says. She and her husband have a daughter and three grandchildren “I absolutely adore,” she says. She also has a pug named Sassy and likes to bargain hunt. Big Mama loves to talk and will visit the sick and shut-ins when she isn’t on the floor at James River. “Anybody who needs love, when I’m off, I’m there for you,” she says. She says VHS is a good company — and the job is all about what you make of it. “Every day is a new day to make a big difference,” she says. “Be nice to people. Try to brighten up your residents’ day and be nice. It’s all about the residents. Make them shine.” #CNAWeek #CNAWeek2024