Debbie Montenaro, Executive Director of Shoal Creek Rehabilitation Center in Crestview, FL, called her staff together in the middle of the afternoon to make an important announcement. “It’s really you guys, working day in and day out with the resid
ents,” she said as the meeting began. While presenting a framed certificate to her team, Debbie shared the good news – Shoal Creek had received the Governor’s Gold Seal Award by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration. Samuel Verghese, secretary of Florida’s Department of Elder Affairs, was just one of the Florida officials who congratulated them on their achievement, the culmination of a 30-month review process which evaluates everything from financial soundness to community and family outreach programs.
“These Florida nursing homes have some of the best nurses and staff in the country that provide superb health care services to our seniors,” said Verghese. Echoing this sentiment, Debbie was quick to re-emphasize her appreciation for the Shoal Creek staff who helped implement notable programs at the care center, such as Adopt-a-Resident and The Clipboard Program. Adopt-a-Resident was designed to ensure that the unique needs of every resident are met by assigning a staff member to be an advocate on their behalf, but their attention to detail doesn’t stop there. The Clipboard Program, which is updated on a daily basis, helps to ensure that residents are treated according to their personal requests.
“When a family makes the tough decision to place a loved one in a nursing home or long-term care facility, they need to know that they will receive quality care and be treated with dignity and respect they deserve,” said Liz Dudek, secretary of Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration. As one of just nine long-term care centers in the state to receive the award, Debbie recognizes that it’s the compassion, honesty, integrity, respect, and passion personified by her employees that takes these programs from a mere vision to a reality that impacts residents’ lives. She’ll be the first to tell you that Shoal Creek appreciates the recognition that awards bring, but more importantly, she hopes others will hear about Consulate’s care centers and feel confident trusting them with their loved ones knowing that they are more than a nursing home – they are patient-centered care centers who treat patients and residents like loved ones.
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