Our Core Values in Action

NOTE: This story was taken from the blog of Foundations Health leader Bob Speelman. Each week Bob works at one of his facilities in different roles such as housekeeping, or as a nursing assistant, to bring A Culture of Care.

I spent the day at Park Health Center, our 87-bed facility in St. Clairsville, Ohio. Cameron Shreve is the Administrator, and Tammie Howell is the Director of Nursing. I can’t say enough about what the two of them have been able to accomplish at this facility. They have created an amazing Culture of Care that you have to experience to appreciate. To help you better understand what I mean, let me tell you about my day.

When I arrived at the facility, Cameron told me that I’d be working with Audra Sturm. Cameron said to me that Audra went through the facilities STNA program that is lead by Kassandra Cattran and that Audra was a shining example of the quality of their STNA program. When I first got my STNA, my instructor was Kassandra, and I owe a lot to her. Her heart for long term care is second to none, and I know personally the quality program she oversees.

Cameron introduced me to Audra and she was smiling ear to ear. You could tell immediately she had a heart for this and I was looking forward to my day with her. Audra introduced me to Amanda Hill and Taylor Gonzalez, the other two STNA’s on the unit’s care team. The four of us were exactly that the entire day: a care team. The three of them had an amazing repour with each other, the nurses, and the residents. They communicated amazingly well, and all three of them showed such love and kindness to their residents.

After about 30 minutes into our time together Cameron called on the radio that is carried by each member of the care team that it was time for morning care meeting (we used to call it a “huddle” a long time ago, and I hadn’t seen it done anywhere for a while). All member of the care team gathered at the nurse’s station and discussed appointments, discharges, admissions, activities, and basically anything going on for the day that anyone needed to know about to assure things went smoothly. On a new admit, they discussed information about the resident’s likes and dislikes to make sure the admission went smoothly. Audra, Amanda, and Taylor all said they really liked it because the communication between the team helps a lot and things go a lot smoother because fewer things are missed. I could see why and really enjoyed seeing it in action.

Audra, Amanda, and Taylor – Thank you for all you do every day for our residents. It was a joy working with you and seeing your love and passion in action.

Cameron and Tammie – Your leadership is the gold standard. You have created a team of caregivers that truly are amazing. I saw so many of our core values in action all day long.

Kassandra – I owe so much to your in helping me get started on this journey. I can’t begin to tell you how it has changed my life. Thank you for your passion for ensuring we have quality STNA’s entering the field with a heart for care.

Bob Speelman, STNA

Bob's Blog