Et cetera : Belle Plaine Administrator among 20 Long-Term Care Professionals to Gradauate

Twenty Iowa long-term care professionals graduated from the Iowa Health Care Association (IHCA) Leadership Academy this week in West Des Moines.

The academy is an intensive one-year leadership course for licensed nursing home administrators, assisted living directors, home care agency directors and directors of nursing who work in long-term care, assisted living and home care settings. Through the academy, students build leadership skills to drive quality improvements at their organizations. Specific areas of focus include achieving workplace excellence, managing change, assuring quality, improving organizational performance and navigating the post-acute care landscape.

"As we face a growing aging population, the need for future leaders in the long-term care profession has never been more important. These graduates are to be commended for their commitment to providing quality care by investing their time and effort into completing this training program," said Mary Jane Carothers, vice president of quality improvement and clinical affairs for the Iowa Health Care Association. "The skills they have gained during the academy will directly benefit those receiving long-term care in their communities." 

The graduates completed academic surveys, an orientation webinar, in-person meetings and networking conference calls during the year-long program. They also completed an individualized quality improvement project for their organizations as part of the course. Project topics ranged from reducing staff turnover, improving customer satisfaction and improving clinical outcomes for the patients they serve. 

This is the third group of graduates to complete the academy. The academy is made possible by a sponsorship from Healthcare of Iowa. 

A list of the graduates is below.

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About the Iowa Health Care Association
The Iowa Health Care Association (IHCA) and its divisions, Iowa Center for Assisted Living (ICAL) and Iowa Center for Home Care (ICHC) represent organizations that provide long-term care to Iowans through nursing facilities, assisted living, residential care, senior living communities and home health agencies. 

2018-2019 Iowa Leadership Academy Graduates

City; Name; Title; Organization
Altoona; Stacey Brand; Director of Nursing; Prairie Vista Village 
Altoona; Timothy Jordison; Executive Director; Prairie Vista Village 
Ames; Gregg Hanson; Executive Director; Northridge Village
Belle Plaine; Amy Castro; Administrator; Belle Plaine Specialty Care
Bellevue; Amy Waller; Director of Nursing; Mill Valley Care Center
Corydon; Gina Rose; Director; Murphy Place
Decorah; Katy Wood; AL Director; Wellington Place Assisted Living
Edgewood; Sara McCool; Administrator; Edgewood Convalescent Home 
Fairfield; Renee Sanai; Administrator; Parkview Care Center
Grimes; Deb College; Director of Nursing; Kennybrook Village
Grimes; Ethan Walton; Executive Director; Kennybrook Village
Grundy Center; John Freeman; Administrator; Grundy Care Center
Indianola; Holly Turner; Administrator; Good Samaritan Society - Indianola
Indianola; Kari Ann; Director of Nursing; Good Samaritan Society - Indianola
Marion; Sara Kuempel; Executive Director; Summit Pointe Senior Living 
Maryville; Ashely Fritz; Administrator; Village Care Center 
Mason City; Michael Davis; Administrator; IOOF Home & Community Therapy Center
Odebolt; Marissa Edgar-Schwebach; Administrator; Odebolt Specialty Care
Pomeroy; Jennifer Blair; Administrator; Accura Healthcare - Pomeroy
Waukon; Cathy Lee Taylor; Executive Director; Good Samaritan Society - Waukon