We are so happy to welcome Beth Herndon as the new Resident Services Director at Brandon Oaks. Beth comes to Brandon Oaks as a certified dementia practitioner with experience in life enrichment programming for seniors, social work and a passion for working with seniors. We look forward to the positive impact she will make in the community.
Contactless Screening Technology Implemented Across Campus
Brandon Oaks Life Plan Community has implemented new technology for screening employees, and soon residents and visitors. Utilizing contactless temperature screening kiosks, users will be able to answer a series of questions and have their temperature taken by a device. Over the course of the pandemic, this process has been completed by staff members in various locations of the Brandon Oaks campus. However, this new tool will allow the process to be completely automated and lessen the risk of exposure for employees who were completing the screenings.
The kiosk, from Symtech Solutions, provides each user hand sanitizer and an opportunity for staff to scan their employee ID. Each employee then goes through a series of prompted questions, and their temperature is taken. They will be notified if they have been granted admittance to the facility and a badge is printed showing they passed the screening. If an employee does not pass the screening, a notification, a text and an email, is sent to their manager so they can follow up with the employee. Similar procedures are available for visitors and residents who are able to enter their name into the system and go through the same process.
“COVID-19 precautions aren’t going anywhere anytime soon and we wanted to find a more efficient way to complete daily screening of our staff,” said Gary Ventola, CFO of Virginia Lutheran Homes, parent company of Brandon Oaks. Ventola added, “This tool will allow employees who have been doing these screenings manually to refocus back to their main duties and it lessens the points of contact and therefore potential exposures.”
Brandon Oaks Announces Two Staff Promotions
We are excited to announce the following promotions:
Natalie Wynegar, who previously served as our Assisted Living Administrator, has been promoted to the Administrator of the Nursing and Rehab Center.
Jessica White, who most recently served as our Resident Services Director, has been promoted to the Administrator of our Assisted Living and Memory Support Center.
Nursing and Rehab Center receives first dose of COVID-19 vaccine
In partnership with CVS Pharmacy, the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine was distributed at the Nursing and Rehab Center on Tuesday, January 5th. CVS will return later in the month to administer a second dose and to give the first shot to any additional nursing center staff or residents who opt to take it. We hope this is the first step towards ending this devastating pandemic.
Thank you to WFXR for their coverage of our first vaccine clinic, click here for their story.
Gary Ventola Named Chief Financial Officer
On March 23, Virginia Lutheran Homes, owners and operators of Brandon Oaks Life Plan Community, welcomed Gary Ventola to their staff as Chief Financial Officer.
Ventola comes to VLH with 15 years of experience in the financial sector of senior living and the continuing care retirement industry. Most recently, Ventola served as Chief Financial Officer for Terrace Communities, located in Manchester, Vermont, where he directed the financial operation of seven senior retirement communities. He has also served in the CFO capacity at St. Andrew’s Resources for Seniors System, a not for profit system of twenty-three senior retirement communities including three CCRCs.
Ventola is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance. Ventola also has earned multiple master’s degrees including an MBA from Indiana Wesleyan, Masters in Accounting from the University of Connecticut, and a Masters in Healthcare Law from Wake Forest University.
“We are excited to welcome Gary to Virginia Lutheran Homes. His extensive knowledge in senior living management and finance will be a great asset to our team,” says Heather Neff, President, and CEO of Virginia Lutheran Homes.
Charles Downs Joins Staff as Corporate Counsel
On February 3, Virginia Lutheran Homes, owners and operators of Brandon Oaks Life Plan Community, welcomed Charles L. Downs, Jr. to their staff as Corporate Counsel.
Charles is a seasoned attorney who has practiced law in Virginia for over 20 years. Over the years, Charles has focused his practice on health law and the representation of health care providers and institutions in various legal matters.
Most recently, Charles was a partner at the Roanoke office of Lewis, Brisbois, Bisgaard & Smith, LLP, an AMLaw100 law firm with offices across the United States.
“With the business of healthcare becoming more complex, we knew it was the right time to add corporate counsel to our staff, as many other healthcare organizations have done over the past few years,” said Virginia Lutheran Homes’ President and CEO, Heather Neff. “We are so fortunate that Charles comes to us with the background in healthcare law and an appreciation for our mission,” Neff added.
Brandon Oaks Assisted Living Achieves Tier 4 Status for National Quality Initiative Recognition Program
Brandon Oaks Assisted Living has been recognized as the only assisted living in the state of Virginia to be named a Tier 4 Achiever for their national quality initiative program.
The NCAL Quality Initiative Recognition Program is designed to recognize member assisted living communities that demonstrate the attainment of one or more of the four NCAL Quality Initiative goals:
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- Staff Stability: direct care staff turnover is 50% or less
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Customer Satisfaction: 90% or more of residents and/or family members are satisfied with their experience
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Hospital Readmissions: readmissions within 30 days of hospital discharges are 20% or less
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Antipsychotics: off-label use of antipsychotics is 15% of residents or less
Tier 4 achievers are facilities that have reached all 4 of these goals during the past 12 months. Only 16 assisted living facilities were named Tier 4 achievers nationwide.
Brandon Oaks at Home Named A Top Agency by Two National Organizations
Brandon Oaks at Home, the home care and home healthcare division of Brandon Oaks, was named a top agency by two national organizations.
Fazzi Associate’s Top 25
The HHCAHPS Patient Satisfaction Award of Distinction is presented annually to home health organizations subscribed to Fazzi’s Patient Satisfaction Service that have demonstrated superior performance in overall patient satisfaction results. These national best practice agencies are proven leaders and have placed in the top 25% of Fazzi’s patient satisfaction national database based on a comparative analysis of overall satisfaction. Brandon Oaks at Home is one of only 135 home health care agencies nationwide to achieve this honor.
Ability’s HomeCare Elite Top Agency
Brandon Oaks at Home has been named a HomeCare Elite agency for the second year in a row. The HomeCare Elite is a recognition of the top-performing home health agencies in the United States. For 14 years, HomeCare Elite has annually identified the top 25 percent of Medicare-certified agencies and highlighted the top 100 and top 500 agencies overall. Those named as a top agency are determined by an analysis of performance measures in quality outcomes, best practices implementation, patient experience (HHCAHPS), quality improvement and consistency, and financial health. In order to be considered, an agency must be Medicare-certified and have data for at least three outcomes in Home Health Compare.
Brandon Oaks at Home Administrator Marisa Peacock adds, “We are honored to be recognized by two organizations this year based on the high performance and customer satisfaction from our patients; this highlights the high quality of care we provide the Roanoke Valley.”
If you or a loved one is in need of home healthcare services, call our office at (540) 283-8649.
Two Brandon Oaks Nurses Recognized in Our Health Magazine
Two Brandon Oaks nurses have been recognized by Our Health magazine as Outstanding Nurses in the Roanoke Valley!
This is Our Health’s 2nd edition of Outstanding Nurses and we are so proud that two of our nurses were selected. This year they focused on the various traits one needs to be a successful nurse. See their profiles below (click here to view the digital edition of this month’s issue).
Remembering the 75th Anniversary of D-Day
As a provider of care and accommodations for the senior population, we at Brandon Oaks have had the immense honor of caring for veterans of various wars throughout our history. Of the world wars, WWII veterans are the oldest that are currently still surviving. According to the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs statistics, 496,777 of the 16 million Americans who served in WWII were still living in 2018.
One of the major battles of WWII was D-Day, the largest every amphibious military invasion. The Allied Forces faced horrible weather, seemingly insurmountable odds and the looming cliffs surrounding Normandy’s beaches. Nonetheless, they defeated the Germans which ultimately ended WWII.
As mentioned, we have had the privilege of caring for numerous veterans but we were so humbled to celebrate two of our residents at the 75th Anniversary of D-Day at the National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia on June 6, 2019. James “Jim” White, a WWII veteran and a D-Day survivor, Charles “Chuck” Neighbor.
Jim White served during WWII as a Finance Officer and Comptroller and traveled across the European and Pacific theaters. Jim was promoted to a Brigadier General before retiring in 1975.
Chuck Neighbor, served as a private first class in the 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division during WWII. He and his comrades landed on Omaha Beach the morning on June 6, 1944. During the events of the 75th Anniversary Commemoration, Vice President Mike Pence quoted one of Chuck’s diary entries after the invasion, as his words were so poignant and fitting for how the whole scene of the day unfolded.
While harsh, his words are a reminder of what has happened to get us to where we are as a nation today. The freedoms we celebrate, the lifestyles we live, are all thanks to those who gave their lives for their fellow man, even 75 years later. Imagine what our world would be like had they not been successful. This ceremony was seen to be the last major milestone anniversary before the WWII generation of veterans disappears. The main theme was remembering and thanking all who served. Although, many don’t think they did anything anyone else wouldn’t do. Most will just say they were doing their job. This endearing, humble attitude towards such a harrowing experience they survived is a testament to the true heroes in all of them.
Other residents, many who were also veterans of other conflicts, and staff members were able to travel to see this incredibly moving ceremony. At the end of the ceremony, each veteran present was named and they were presented with a special commemorative coin specially made for the event.
Below are some of our pictures from the day’s events and a few words from our staff members who went.
Ben Burks, Executive Director: “The D-Day celebration honored those who risked and sacrificed their very lives for a cause much greater than their own individual feelings and preferences. I took the time to attend because I thought it was important, and I wanted to express my gratitude for their selflessness. Their heroism and legacy should never be forgotten or taken for granted.”
Susan O’Malley, Assisted Living Administrator: “It was a special honor to attend the D-Day celebration to honor Charles Neighbor (D-Day survivor), Jim White and the other veterans of WWII. The memories from the veterans of their experiences were especially moving and the fact that most of them were so young. The loss of so many lives is difficult to realize now. It is hard to imagine the bravery and strength of character it took and still takes, to serve in the military and provide protection for all Americans.”
Meg Rodman, Arts and Education Manager: ” It was a time for reflection and remembrance and truly a remarkable event. Charles (Chuck) Neighbors and Jim White were recognized as WWII veterans Charles is a D-day veteran. Words cannot express the emotions and stories that were shared at this large gathering of veterans and the public together. It was an amazing tribute to all those who gave so much.”
