WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) today announced the recipients of the 2025 Gold – Excellence in Quality Award. Three skilled nursing care centers from Louisiana, Missouri, and Kansas have earned the most prestigious and esteemed award level of AHCA/NCAL's National Quality Award Program, which recognizes long term and post-acute care facilities that meet progressively rigorous standards of performance to further improve the lives of their residents. These organizations are amongst the best in the nation, recognized for their exceptional overall performance driven by sustainable, systematic, and effective practices.
“Our Gold Quality Award recipients are not just leaders—they are the gold standard,"
said Clif Porter, president and CEO of AHCA/NCAL. “They represent the pinnacle of excellence in long term and post-acute care, setting a bar that inspires us all to reach higher, think bigger, and serve better."
This year's
Gold – Excellence in Quality Award recipients are:
Garden Park Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, LLC (Shreveport, La.):Garden Park Nursing & Rehabilitation is a 160-bed skilled nursing facility located in Shreveport, Louisiana, offering comprehensive services including short-term rehabilitation and skilled nursing care. Committed to improving quality of life for every resident, Garden Park has consistently delivered an outstanding culture for person-centered care. Its exceptional care has already earned national recognition, including being named one of Newsweek's America's Best Nursing Homes in 2025.
NHC HealthCare, Maryland Heights (Maryland Heights, Mo.):NHC HealthCare, Maryland Heights is a 220-bed skilled nursing facility dedicated to providing high-quality rehabilitation, memory, and long term care. Its mission—“Caring in a Better Way, Day by Day"—shapes a culture devoted to making a meaningful difference in the lives of those they serve. The center offers a welcoming, home-like environment where both residents and staff are celebrated, and continuously promotes person-centered care, clinical excellence, and a deep sense of community.
Nottingham Health and Rehabilitation (Olathe, Kan.):Nottingham Health and Rehabilitation is a 77-bed skilled nursing facility committed to delivering equitable, high-quality care for every resident. Guided by its mission—Improve Lives and Exceed Expectations—Nottingham integrates this philosophy into every aspect of its operations. This results in a seamless, person-centered approach to care that breaks down silos and ensures residents receive the support they need to thrive.
Quality Award applicants must achieve the Bronze and Silver Award levels before applying and advancing to the Gold level. At the Gold stage, recipients showcase a culture of continuous quality improvement that incorporates leadership, strategic planning, customer satisfaction, workforce engagement, knowledge management, and operational excellence. This level also includes routine comprehensive assessments of key performance metrics. Since the inception of the Quality Award program in 1996, only 56 long term and post-acute care facilities have reached this award level.
"The Gold award level is reserved for those who dare to pursue greatness—and achieve it,"
said Cathy Bergland, AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Board Chair. “These recipients have gone beyond expectations, demonstrating their significant commitment to the best in care and services for their residents and setting a powerful example of what's possible when excellence is the mission."
The National Quality Award Program is based on the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, the nation's only public-private partnership dedicated to improving the performance, resilience, and long-term success of U.S. businesses and other organizations.
This year, 665 organizations have earned the
Bronze – Commitment to Quality Award, and 210 have earned the
Silver – Achievement in Quality Award. A full list of the 2025 Quality Award recipients is available on the
AHCA/NCAL Quality Award website.
Recipients will be recognized during the Elevating Excellence Awards Ceremony at
Delivering Solutions 25, AHCA/NCAL's Convention & Expo, in Las Vegas, Nev., this October.
The 2025 National Quality Award Program is sponsored by AHCA/NCAL Associate Business Members: HealthCap, McKesson, Prevail by First Quality, Rosie, and Incite Workforce Solutions Powered by SnapCare.