Below are the materials submitted by Campus of the Jewish Home for the Joint Agency Annual Meeting edition of the Community Review, including a State of the Agency report, Employees of the Year, Board Slate, and Years of Service by staff.
2020 State of the Agency
Well, the primary challenge of this year for The Campus is certainly no secret! COVID has wreaked havoc on our industry like nothing I have experienced in my career. The Campus has weathered the storm well to date. We have been testing regularly since mid-June. As of this writing, there have been no residents in our skilled nursing facility test positive. We have had six residents in our personal care home test positive for COVID. Sadly, two of those residents passed due to the combination of the virus and other pre-existing conditions. The other four residents remain in our facility and have fully recovered. Several staff have tested positive and have also recovered and returned to work.
Our strong prevention policies, and adherence to those policies, have largely contributed to our success to date. The Campus was inspected by both federal and state groups regarding our infection control protocols, and we were commended for our policies and our operations. Staff have been outstanding and courageous in continuing to provide care under extremely stressful conditions. I am so proud of the response of our teams in all departments!
While I am proud of the staff, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge the impact this virus has had on our residents and family members. We all feel the sadness of our residents. The isolation and separation have been difficult, but our staff has found many creative ways to keep families connected.
We endured a period of not having adequate protective and testing equipment, and lower than normal census. We have persevered and continued to identify new sources of supplies. We are slowly recovering on our census and while we currently remain “COVID-free”, we maintain diligence with our policies and keep our guard up! For more details on our response to COVID, you can read regular updates on our website.
The Residence received another outstanding annual survey, and the nursing home just had the best survey in years. The surveyors noted that the residents who were interviewed expressed strong satisfaction for the care they receive. Our nursing home quality measures, tracked by the Center for Medicare Services, rank at or above state and national averages in nearly all of the 20-plus categories measured.
Two of the biggest challenges in “normal” years remain – finding adequate staffing and lower-than-needed government reimbursement. Even during the pandemic, we have been able to hire some additional staff and continue to search for more. Several of us are involved with advocacy groups to represent the need for better funding for long term care at both the state and national levels.
Prior to COVID, a group had begun to research potential new service lines to generate additional income as we look to secure our future. That had been put on hold and will be revisited in the months ahead. These new services, along with upgrades to our facilities, will be critical to ensuring our success going forward.
Our annual Employee Appreciation Day was postponed due to COVID, but we hope to hold that between the time of my writing this letter and the JAAM on October 28. There is so much to celebrate with the staff and that day is management’s way of saying thank you for their work.
In closing, I would like to thank our Board of Directors, our family members, and the Community for their outstanding support and constant encouragement throughout the pandemic. I can assure you the staff felt and appreciated the outreach. I also want to thank family members for your patience with our policies and your understanding that each new policy we enact is for the protection of your resident and our staff.
It is the hope of all that we start to see our Campus able to reopen and reconnect residents and families on a more intimate level than “window visits” and virtual visits. We look forward to a time when we can all meet again without the barriers and without the masks and shields!
Allen Geckle
CEO
Employees of the Year – Gisela Dietrich & Lori Daniels
Two outstanding staff were recently recognized as our Employees of the Year.
The EOY award is named after Esther Jacobs Atlas, who provided the original funding for this award, which was created to recognize outstanding employees for their service to our residents. The award is maintained by the family of Harry & Gayle Yaverbaum.
Here is a partial list of qualities that the EOY Award has determined are important criteria in being an outstanding member of our Campus team:
- Caring attitude toward residents
- Promotes quality of life, independence, and wellness
- Knowledgeable and respectful of resident rights and dignity issues
- Knowledgeable of Jewish dietary laws and religious customs
- Adheres to organizational rules, regulations and policy & procedure
- Exhibits caring attitude toward co-workers
- Willing to offer assistance whenever possible
- Participates in in-service and training programs
- A team player
- An Ambassador of the Jewish Home of Greater Harrisburg & The Residence
Each year, awards are presented to outstanding employees in Nursing and support areas of the organization. Each EOY receives a commemorative plaque, a private parking space for the next year, and a cash award from the Esther Jacobs Atlas Fund. Selecting a single EOY in either area was extremely difficult this year as so many staff went so far above and beyond expectations due to the pandemic.
Our Nursing staff does an outstanding job in often very difficult environments. They are both caretakers and friends to our residents. Even on challenging days, our staff perform their duties with a positive attitude and a lot of energy. Some comments we received about our Nursing Employee of the Year include:
“She is an angel, always so lovely, loving, kind, positive, untiring, helpful, and generous.
Quietly gives joy to all with whom she comes in contact.”
“During the pandemic, she was a caregiver, a social worker, a dietary aide, AND a beautician!
She could be EOY every year!”
A long-time employee in our PCH, The Campus is lucky to have this year’s Nursing Employee of the Year – Gisela Dietrich!
As we always say, Nursing does not do it alone! A lot of support is needed to make The Campus the special place it is for our residents. The support group around the Nursing department is equally as important and hard-working. Seeing non-Nursing personnel assisting residents, holding their hands, giving them a hug, or any number of other things really demonstrates what our Campus stands for. Some comments that we received about this employee include:
“A team player who helps Nursing every day.”
“You never hear her complain, no matter what is going on.”
“Always caring and giving!”
Many of the families have interacted with this individual through care plans, phone calls and emails. She is an outstanding example to others, and truly lives our mission daily. We are fortunate to have her as part of The Campus team! She has an infectious smile and a heart of gold.
This year’s Support Services Employee of the Year is Lori Daniels!
Years of Service Recognition
2020
The following individuals were recently recognized for their years of service to the residents of The Campus!
5 Years
Marisol Rosario
Beth Hoskins
Stephanie Urso
Julie Hurley
Rayna Dormer
Kay Shaffer
Amanda Rosa-Colon
Michael Hutchins
Sandra Thompson
Katie Kerstetter
Samuel Girmasion
Esther Metellus
Lindsay Truong
Karen Quitter
Nurudeen Adeniyi
AletaAnn Sultana
10 Years
Michal Stewart
Wendy Routch
David Orwig
Jane Githui
15 Years
Karen Habel
Theresa Mullen
20 Years!
Julie Hoffman
Pichitra Lawson
The Campus of the Jewish Home of Greater Harrisburg
Board of Directors – 2020-2021
The Campus of the Jewish Home of Greater Harrisburg submits the following slate of Officers and Board Members for affirmation by the Community. A formal vote to approve and install this slate will be held on October 28 during the JAAM.
Officers /Executive Committee
Richard Spiegelman, Esq. – President
Michael Silver – Vice President
Gerald Gorelick – Treasurer
Walter Cohen, Esq. – Secretary
Harvey Danowitz – Asst. Treasurer / Assistant Secretary
Carolyn Anner, Esq. – Immediate Past President
Burton Morris, Esq. – Life Member / Past President
William Adler, Esq. – Life Member / Past President
At Large Board Members
Mayur Patel Dr. Ross Kline Dr. M. Lewis, MD
Larry Kluger Doug Tshudy Alyssa Munns
Lillian Rappaport Peter Good Elliot Strokoff
Oscar Douglas Dr. Jordan Klein Gene Weinberg
Kathy Morrison Mark Maisel
Ex-Officio Members:
Campus CEO Allen Geckle
Federation Chair Abby Smith
Federation CEO Jennifer Ross
Foundation Chair Mike Doctrow
Foundation Exec. Dir. Paulette Keifer
Chisuk Emuna Rabbi Ronald Muroff
Kesher Israel Rabbi Elisha Friedman
Ohev Shalom Rabbi Peter Kessler
Beth El Rabbi Ariana Capptauber