Two Elant Nursing Homes Honored With National Awards Recognizing Commitment to Quality Care

July 15, 2010 - PRLog -- Elant at Fishkill and Elant at Wappingers Falls nursing homes and rehabilitation centers have been recognized as 2010 recipients of the Bronze Commitment to Quality National Quality Award presented by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), a trade organization with approximately 11,000 members nationwide.

“This recognition reinforces our continued commitment to quality and the dedication of our staff to our mission of putting our residents’ needs first,” said Dana Diorio-Casey, vice president and executive director of Elant at Wappingers Falls. “We look forward to celebrating this prestigious award with our residents, families and staff.”

This year 701 nursing homes and assisted living communities from across the nation applied for the Bronze Quality Award. Elant at Fishkill and Elant at Wappingers Falls were two of the facilities to receive the award. The award will be presented to Elant at Fishkill and Elant at Wappingers Falls during AHCA/NCAL’s 61st Annual Convention and Exposition, October 10-13, 2010 in Long Beach, CA.

“The commitment to quality designated by this award is a key first step to developing systematic, sustainable, person-centered care and services,” said Bruce Yarwood, president and CEO of AHCA/NCAL. “We congratulate both Elant campuses on this achievement.”

Implemented by AHCA/NCAL in 1996, the National Quality Award Program is based on the core values and criteria of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Program. It provides a pathway for providers of long-term and post-acute care services to journey towards performance excellence. Facilities begin their quality journey at the Bronze level where they are asked to develop an organizational profile including vision and mission statements, an awareness of their environment and customers’ expectations. Bronze applicants are also asked to demonstrate their ability to improve a process. At the Bronze level, formerly know as the Step I Award, applications are reviewed by examiners who have received special training to qualify as judges for the award program.

“It is an honor that our staff’s continuous improvement efforts are recognized by AHCA,” said George Michaels, Elant at Fishkill vice president and executive director. “We are dedicated to the process of quality.”

The awards are sponsored by AHCA/NCAL Associate Business Member McKesson Medical-Surgical, a leading distributor of medical supplies and equipment to physician practices, surgery centers, hospitals, home care, and extended care facilities, and My InnerView, a Web-based applied research and quality-management company that supports leaders across the entire assisted living, senior housing and skilled nursing profession with tools to measure, benchmark and improve performance.

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Elant, Inc., a community-based, not-for-profit organization, has been a part of the Hudson Valley healthcare landscape for the past 25 years. Its seven campuses, located across five counties, serve an estimated 3,500 people daily and provide sub-acute care and rehabilitation services, nursing home care, assisted living, adult day care, retirement community living, home health care, and a managed long-term care plan. Elant’s mission is to provide personalized, high-quality care and lifestyle options to persons of diverse generations, cultures, means, and needs.