Health and Safety of Patients and Staff During COVID-19 Risk

Salude is being proactive to address the current COVID-19 risk to persons who reside, visit and work in a healthcare facility. Infection prevention and control is always a top priority, and as a result our nursing team already has infection prevention and control training. We fully understand the national healthcare concerns related to COVID-19, and we take it seriously.

We have a plan to coordinate with our county health department to address any concerns, and we adhere to the infection prevention and control guidelines and recommendations issued by the CDC and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Similar to the precautions that are being taken across the country in our industry, we have an internal task force and are actively educating and equipping our team to implement multiple available precautionary measures in an effort to help maintain the health and safety our patients and staff.

In accordance with state and national long-term care healthcare recommendations, we are currently restricting visitors to essential personnel. We have notified our families and will update them on any significant developments. Essential personnel are being screened using a detailed questionnaire and non-invasive assessments.

Our heartfelt thoughts go out to anyone affected at this time.

To learn more about our COVID-19 and infection prevention and control measures please see the materials below. Note: this is only a representative sample of our comprehensive and proactive approach to address the risk of infections. We are providing this information to inform the public and the communities we serve. Individual circumstances may vary and will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

At this time, Salude is taking several steps to support the health and safety of our patients and staff. Some of the actions we are taking include implementation of the following:

• CMS and CDC Guidelines and Instructions
• Monitoring all employees, including temperature recordings; employees are obligated to report signs/symptoms that develop as well as relevant exposure and travel history
• CMS guidelines for visitors: restricting all visitors with the exception of essential personnel; essential personnel undergo CDC and CMS recommended screening requirements.
• COVID-19 Infection Prevention and Control Manual
  • Our manual includes Emergency Preparations Plan with a Pandemic Response Plan
  • Includes guidance for addressing suspected and confirmed COVID-19 infections
• CDC Signage for hygiene and hand-washing instructions, CDC recommendations for COVID-19 precautions, infection prevention and control, and advisories to visitors
• Screening competencies, check lists, resources
• Letters and notifications to employees and families
• Respiratory check list
• Telemedicine virtual screening
• CMS’s infection control critical element pathways
• New patient admissions and referral sources

Honoring Salude’s 2019 Manager of the Year

In 2019, Salude created a new award to recognize department leaders who demonstrate exceptional customer service, leadership in their functional area and significant contributions to the success of Salude. The award is given to one individual quarterly who exhibits excellence in Leadership and Management in the above areas. The four Department Heads recognized in 2019 were Q1: Sheila Smith, Director of Environmental Services; Q2: Karlene Cordwell, Director of Staff Development and Infection Prevention Officer; Q3: Vickie Finney, Human Resources Manager and Q4: Leah Swain, Business Development Director.

“Each of these quarterly award recipients have worked very hard to develop and grow their teams, and each has made unique and significant contributions to Salude’s success in 2019,” says Dee Desai, Executive Director.

In addition, the 2019 Manager of the Year award was recently presented to Vickie Finney, Human Resources Manager. Vickie joined Salude in 2016 as a Human Resources Coordinator. She quickly learned not only the requirements of her job, but she also demonstrated the ability to work beyond the duties of her position, often helping with special projects.

Vickie was promoted to Human Resources Manager in 2018. With this promotion, Vickie added recruitment and retention to her duties, eliminating the need for an outsourced recruitment and talent acquisition company, which Salude had used since opening in 2014. She also hired a Human Resources Assistant and took over payroll and labor management functions. 2019 presented additional challenges and opportunities related to Human Resources Management and needing to make decisions related to changes in health insurance and benefits for our employees. Vickie assisted the Executive Director and CEO in these transitions. She is also the internal IT expert and assists many employees with Power Point, Excel, phone, TV and other issues. Dee Desai, Executive Director, states Vickie is always willing to lend a hand and is a great resource for all of our employees.

Vickie began her career as a part-time administrative assistant in a hospital while working on her bachelor’s degree. She was then promoted to a full-time Executive Assistant where she learned how to communicate with executives, learned the corporate environment, and handled human resources functions that triggered her transition into the human resources field. Her first role in the human resources field was as an HR Specialist handling payroll, timesheets and HRIS tasks.

“My passion for Human Resources started from seeing areas that needed improvement in communication from front line staff and their leaders. Working alongside great co-workers that have a strong passion to make Salude great is very satisfying. My goal in HR is to hear all voices of the company and create a better flowing team and build upon a company's human capital. I believe a company is nothing without its team and employees,” Vickie said. She is currently working on a master's degree in Human Resources Management.

On a personal note, Vickie says she is a strong family person. She has been married for one year to her  lovely husband whom she considers her motivator, cheerleader, and world. Together they nurture three dogs — a husky/lab, German shepherd/husky, and husky/Shiba. Vickie is full-blooded Puerto Rican and loves to teach others how to speak Spanish and do Salsa dancing. Vickie also likes to draw, play video games, and lay on the couch after days working at Salude.

Congratulations to Vickie on being recognized as the 2019 Salude Manager of the Year!

Salude Recognized as a Best of Gwinnett® Winner Three Years in a Row

For the third year in a row, Salude, the Art of Recovery, has been named a Best of Gwinnett® winner for Transitional Care and Rehab Facilities in Gwinnett Magazine’s annual readers’ poll.

Every year, Gwinnett Magazine readers and editors weigh in on the best of everything in Gwinnett, honoring businesses and organizations in more than 20 broad business and community sectors. Best of Gwinnett is the highest designation given to the businesses with the most votes in their category.

The process starts with a nomination at BestofGwinnett.com, and voting remains open for up to 10 months. Tens of thousands of votes are received throughout the year, and the process culminates with the publishing of the annual Best of Gwinnett issue.

“It’s an honor to be recognized for the third year in a row as a Best of Gwinnett winner, and we are appreciative of our patients, their families and our community partners for taking the time to vote,” said Dr. Alan L. Wang, MD, SFHM, FACP, Salude’s CEO.

Salude Named “Best of Senior Living” by SeniorAdvisor.com

Salude was recently selected as one of the 2020 Best of Senior Living Award Winners on SeniorAdvisor.com, the largest ratings and reviews site for senior care and services in North America and Canada.

The annual SeniorAdvisor.com Best of 2020 Awards recognize outstanding senior living and home care providers who have received consistently high ratings from residents and their families. This exclusive designation honors the top 2-3% of senior care providers in the United States and Canada.

Winning criteria included having a 4.5 star rating or above and 5 new reviews on SeniorAdvisor.com during the award period (November 17, 2018 to October 18, 2019) as well as providing one of the following: Assisted Living Community, Home Care Agency, Nursing Home/Rehab, Independent Living Community, CCRC, or Provide Memory Care.

“We are grateful that our patients and their families took the time to leave positive reviews and are pleased to be recognized by SeniorAdvisor.com. Our patients’ experience and clinical outcomes are most important to our mission, and we are honored to receive this distinction,” said Dr. Alan L. Wang, MD, SFHM, FACP, Salude’s CEO.

Salude Ranked #1 by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

ATLANTA, GA (November 14, 2019) – Last year, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) initiated a program aimed to reduce patient readmission to acute care hospitals in the 30 days following discharge from a skilled nursing facility. Out of 15,000+ participating Medicare-certified skilled nursing facilities, Salude has been ranked #1 for performance for the second year in a row.

This Value-Based Purchasing Initiative demands that skilled nursing facilities meet certain performance benchmarks or face penalties. Salude’s ranking of #1 indicates exemplary performance in preventing patient readmissions to the hospital.

“Salude is proud to be ranked #1 in the country by CMS for a second time. Our innovative ‘transitionist’ clinical model is designed to provide the best services in a state-of-the-art environment, help keep patients out of the hospital and improve rehabilitative outcomes. We’re thankful for our community partners who have helped institute our patient-centered approach since our inception in 2014,” said Dr. Alan L. Wang, MD, SFHM, FACP, Salude’s CEO.

Salude has many partners that have worked together to develop the model, some of which are found at Salude and others who are partners in the community. At Salude, Aegis Therapies provides physical, occupational and speech therapies, and Transitional Care Physicians of America (TCPA) provides nurse practitioners and physician assistants to oversee clinical services and communicate directly with patients and their physicians.

At the heart of Salude’s patient-centered care is Structured Interdisciplinary Bedside Rounds (SIBR), which brings an expertly-trained care team to the patient and family to advance progress and answer questions together. 1Unit, the clinician-led healthcare company that develops SIBR, provides Salude with everything needed to SIBR-train and SIBR-certify staff.

In addition, preferred home health companies on rotation at Salude, Accent Care’s Guardian Home Health and VNHS Home Health, follow patients after graduation from the rehabilitation and recovery program, ensuring that patients continue on their path of success in a home-based setting.

Salude Named a Finalist for the Gwinnett Chamber’s 2019 Healthcare Awards

GWINNETT COUNTY, GA (November 12, 2019) – The Gwinnett Chamber will honor leading individuals and organizations that make an impact in Gwinnett County and metro Atlanta’s healthcare industry with its Healthcare Awards on December 10. This program raises awareness and illustrates best practices to emulate while enhancing the quality of care.

Awards are designated in the following categories: Allied Health, Altruistic Contributor, Community Wellness, Corporate Innovation, Distinguished Leader, Emerging Executive, Healthcare Agency, Healthcare Professional, Lasting Legacy, Physician of the Year (Dentist, Primary Care and Specialist) and Volunteer Service.

“We are thrilled to be named a Healthcare Agency finalist for the Healthcare Awards and are fortunate to be a part of such an engaging sector. Being a part of this event is always exciting, and we’re grateful to be recognized,” said Dr. Alan L. Wang, MD, SFHM, FACP, Salude’s CEO.

Winners will be unveiled at a ceremony from 5:30 to 7:30 pm on Tuesday, December 10 at the Infinite Energy Forum. For more information, visit GwinnettHealthcareAwards.com.

Salude Designated as a Finalist in Gwinnett Chamber IMPACT Regional Business Awards

METRO ATLANTA, GA (April 9, 2019) – Recognized as a leading organization, Salude has been designated as a finalist for the IMPACT Regional Business Awards in the healthcare sector.

Hosted by Gwinnett Chamber, the program pays tribute to premier organizations in top industries that are driving economic development and job creation, while enhancing our quality of life.

“We are thrilled to be recognized once again by the Gwinnett Chamber as a finalist in the healthcare sector and are proud to be a representative of the Gwinnett community,” said Dee Desai, MBA, MHA, LNHA, Salude’s Executive Director.

Recipients will be selected from the following sectors:

• AEC (Architecture, Engineering & Construction)
• Education
• Healthcare
• Hospitality
• Information Technology
• International
• Nonprofit
• Service
• Small Business

An overall IMPACT Regional Business Awards recipient will be selected from one of the above category winners.

“Now in its fifth year, the program has provided exposure to more than 1,500 best-in-class businesses. Bringing together leaders across these important industries is another example of how Gwinnett Chamber can fulfill its mission to serve as a community forum,” said Dr. Dan Kaufman, president & CEO of the Gwinnett Chamber.

The awards ceremony will be held from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm on Wednesday, May 8, at the Infinite Energy Forum. For more information, visit ImpactBusinessAwards.com.

Salude is a Best of Gwinnett® Winner Two Years in a Row

GWINNETT COUNTY, GEORGIA (March 11, 2019) – The votes have been counted and the results are in! For the second year in a row, Salude, the Art of Recovery, has been named a Best of Gwinnett® winner for Transitional Care and Rehab Facilities in Gwinnett Magazine’s annual readers’ poll.

Each year, Gwinnett Magazine readers and editors weigh in on the best of everything in Gwinnett, honoring thousands of businesses and organizations in more than 25 broad business and community sectors. “It’s everything you love about Gwinnett.”

The process starts with a nomination at BestofGwinnett.com. Voting remains open throughout the year, with tens of thousands of votes ultimately received. The process culminates with the publishing of the annual Best of Gwinnett issue in March. See a complete list of winners here.

“We are grateful to be recognized for the second year in a row as a Best of Gwinnett winner. Thank you to our patients, their families and our community partners for taking the time to vote,” said Dr. Alan L. Wang, MD, SFHM, FACP, Salude’s CEO.

KURT FFRENCH NAMED 2018 EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR

Salude employees chose Kurt Ffrench, LPN, as Employee of the Year for 2018! Kurt was one of 11 employees who were nominated for Employee of the Year and received his plaque as well as a monetary gift at an All-Staff Meeting held in his honor.

Kurt was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and raised in Miami, Florida. He was raised by his two loving parents who taught him the value of hard work. In college, he had aspirations of becoming a special education teacher and working with at-risk kids. He didn’t consider a career in nursing until his mother-in-law had a conversation with him about trying nursing school given his calm temperament and willingness to help others. After discussing with his wife Keisha, Kurt decided to attend nursing school.

Kurt’s 11-year career has allowed him to experience several different aspects of nursing, from bedside care to supervision to home health and currently post acute care. Kurt says that being a nurse gives him a great sense of purpose, and he feels it has allowed him to further his strengths of compassion for others, managing crisis situations and being a team player.

Dee Desai, Executive Director, says, “Kurt is an extraordinary nursing department employee who really goes above and beyond to help our patients and families receive the best possible care. He is professional, compassionate, loving and understanding and very skilled in his work. He is never too busy to help anyone and takes the time to listen and follow up. Kurt is a positive role model for all Salude employees.”

Congratulations Kurt and thanks for all you do!

Salude Repeats as a U.S. News & World Report Rated Best Skilled Nursing Facility for 2018-2019

Salude has repeated from 2017-2018 to 2018-2019 as a U.S. News & World Report Best Skilled Nursing Facility in the United States. This is the top honor for post-acute care given by the respected news and reference source.

U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in health care rankings, identified the Best Skilled Nursing Facilities for 2018-19 and released its updated Nursing Home Finder. U.S. News evaluated more than 15,000 facilities nationwide, in every state and nearly 100 major metropolitan areas. Of the 359 skilled nursing facilities listed in Georgia, only 17 received U.S. News’s top honor as Best Skilled Nursing Facility in the United States.

"We are proud and honored to be recognized by U.S. News as one of the Best Skilled Nursing Facilities in Georgia and the United States. While our patients’ experience and clinical outcomes are most important to our mission, we are certainly ecstatic to be recognized with this top honor,” said Dr. Alan L. Wang, MD, SFHM, FACP, Salude’s CEO. Dr. Wang added, “The Best Nursing Home ratings are designed to help potential residents and their families navigate this important decision.”

Now in its ninth year, the U.S. News Nursing Home Finder offers comprehensive information about care, safety, health inspections, staffing and more for almost all nursing homes in the country. With this tool, individuals can easily conduct a customized search for a highly rated skilled nursing facility by location, Medicare coverage, and size. The Nursing Home Finder reflects U.S. News’s analysis of data collected and published by the federal government using a methodology defined by U.S. News.

For the 2018-19 ratings, U.S. News introduced a new and first-of-its-kind Short-Stay Rehabilitation rating. This new rating aims to provide patients with a clearer view of the quality of care provided by nursing homes to short-stay patients in need of intensive rehabilitation or nursing services before they return home after a surgery, stroke, accident or illness. Salude was only one of several facilities in the state of Georgia to also earn this High-Performing rating in Short-Stay Rehabilitation.

Significant updates for the 2018-19 Best Nursing Home Overall Rating include:

• U.S. News changed its overall rating methodology to put more emphasis on staffing quality.
• U.S. News used staffing data only from April 2018 onward.
• U.S. News applied additional rating indicators of care that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) doesn’t use in its own ratings — such as whether the amount of rehabilitation therapy provided was determined by reimbursement or by patient-centered needs.

“Every year we strive to improve upon the information we offer to caregivers making critical health care decisions for their loved ones,” says Ben Harder, Chief of Health Analysis at U.S. News. “We understand that nurse staffing is among the most important predictors of nursing home quality. With our new methodology and Short-Stay Rehabilitation rating, we have taken several steps to ensure that nursing homes that consistently provide high-quality care to residents are highlighted.”