Williamsburg Health and Rehabilitation named KACHF 2013 Eastern District Facility of the Year

Williamsburg Health and Rehabilitation Center was named one of Kentucky’s top health care facilities for 2013, and is now in competition with three other centers from around the state for the coveted top spot.
The overall winner will be determined Nov. 14 at the Kentucky Association of Health Care Facilities (KAHCF) Annual Meeting at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville.
Michelle Jarboe, Administrator at Williamsburg Health and Rehabilitation Center, said it was a great honor to be selected as the top facility in the eastern district this year, but is hoping for more. The center actually won the top prize 11 years ago.
“It’s a big deal,” Jarboe said. “You have to meet some pretty high criteria to even participate. They are judging us on just about everything. It’s an intense process.”
Jarboe said KAHCF officials would be on site in the near future to do a detailed review and inspection of the facility. Some of the things they consider during judging are: level of resident care, community involvement, how quality control issues are addressed, staff professionalism and friendliness and overall impact on the long-term care profession.
“This is kind of like the Emmys for nursing homes,” Jarboe said. “I think one of the things that stands out about us, first and foremost, is the excellent resident care we provide. We make it as much a home for them as we possibly can.”
Jarboe said she strives to ensure that residents don’t feel as though they’ve been forced to give up things they love most about life simply because they are at a nursing facility. Staff take residents to movies, restaurants, community events, fishing and even have a plan to go to a local pumpkin patch to enjoy the fall weather and participate in a hayride.
“We have resident council meetings and we ask them, what do you want to do?” Jarboe said. “When you come here, you will probably get to do more than when you were at home. If they tell us something that they want to do, we will make it happen.”
Aside from the awards, the KAHCF meeting serves as a trade show and educational session for those in the long-term care profession.