Three Essentia Health living facilities in Detroit Lakes were recently honored for outstanding service to residents there. The facilities received Excellence in Action Awards from My Inner View, an independent research company that surveys residents about care in 8,500 nursing homes and long-term care facilities across the U.S.
The awards are presented to facilities ranked in the top 10 percent in overall customer satisfaction. Two independent living facilities – Essentia Health-Lincoln Park Senior Apartments and Essentia Health-Winchester – were recognized, along with Essentia Health-Lincoln Park, an assisted living facility.
“Every day, these providers are making a difference in the lives of residents to ensure they are receiving the utmost quality of care,” says Susan L. Henricks, president of National Research Corp., which manages My Inner View.
Essentia officials say they strive to provide personalized, values-based care that makes residents feel known and understood.
“Our team is feeling pretty elated,” says Tonya Clem, senior housing and assisted living residency manager. “These awards show that we are living our mission and our values with every resident, every day. We are serving people the way they want to be served. Our residents are very satisfied and are willing to recommend our housing to others, which shows we are doing the right things.”
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Forty staff members, including front-line caregivers and those in ancillary services, deserve credit for the accomplishment, Clem says. “I think they’re so proud of these awards. This is the recognition for their exceptional work,” Clem says. “Our team is very respectful of each other and that helps tremendously. Teamwork is such a big part of our success.”
This past year, respect was a major focus, say staff members, as they say they made sure they knocked on apartment doors and waited for a response and an invitation to enter. “Our residents thanked them for such respectful behavior,” Clem says. “When the staff is happy and the residents are happy, the whole dynamic is there.”
