Washington, D.C. — The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) announced that two skilled nursing care centers and two assisted living communities have earned the 2018 Gold – Excellence in Quality Award. The award is the final of three distinct levels possible through the AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program, which recognizes organizations nationally that serve as models of excellence in providing high-quality care.
The 2018 Gold – Excellence in Quality Award recipients are:
• Comer Health and Rehabilitation; Comer, Georgia
• Holly Heights Nursing Center; Denver, Colorado
• Maine Veterans Home - Machias; Machias, Maine
• Sunrise of Gurnee; Gurnee, Illinois
“This year’s recipients have achieved a significant milestone and stand among the very best in our nation,” said AHCA/NCAL President and CEO Mark Parkinson. “I applaud all of them for their outstanding accomplishments, which improve the lives of those they care for every day.”
Maine Veterans Home – Machias and Sunrise of Gurnee are the first free-standing assisted living communities to ever attain the Gold – Excellence in Quality Award in the history of the program.
“We are elated for Maine Veterans Home – Machias and Sunrise of Gurnee for earning one of long term care’s highest honors,” said NCAL Executive Director Scott Tittle. ���Achieving this award is no small feat for any provider, as it requires patience, perseverance and purpose. Hopefully these award recipients will inspire more assisted living communities to go for Gold and help move the profession forward.”
Based on the core values and criteria of the nationally recognized Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, the AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program challenges member providers to achieve performance excellence through three progressive levels—Bronze, Silver, and Gold. The Gold – Excellence in Quality Award is the most prestigious of the program. At this level, recipients have invested multiple years in mastering and applying the rigorous quality improvement standards of the Baldrige Criteria to achieve superior results in leadership, strategic planning, customer and workforce focus, and operations and knowledge management.
“At this level, providers are better equipped to embrace the challenges and opportunities that happen in a day-to-day operation,” said Alana Wolfe, Chair of the AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Board of Overseers. “I commend each of these providers for meeting the rigorous criteria of the program, and for working to advance quality in our profession.”
Since the inception of the National Quality Award Program in 1996, only 34 long term and post-acute care providers—excluding this year’s recipients—have achieved this level of quality recognition.
AHCA/NCAL announced the recipients of the Bronze – Commitment to Quality on May 31 and Silver – Achievement in Quality on June 28. A full list of recipients is available on the AHCA/NCAL Quality Award website here.
The program is sponsored by the following AHCA/NCAL Associate Business Members: First Quality, NRC Health, and Team TSI Corporation. The awards will be presented to recipients during AHCA/NCAL’s 69th Annual Convention & Expo in San Diego, California, October 7-10, 2018.
ABOUT AHCA/NCAL
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) represents more than 13,700 non-profit and proprietary skilled nursing centers, assisted living communities, sub-acute centers and homes for individuals with intellectual and development disabilities. By delivering solutions for quality care, AHCA/NCAL aims to improve the lives of the millions of frail, elderly and individuals with disabilities who receive long term or post-acute care in our member facilities each day. For more information, please visit www.ahca.org or www.ncal.org.