Orange County’s Rowntree Gardens Senior Living: Historic 50th Anniversary & Completion of Major Reinvestment Project

By Jason Sherman: jason@shermancm.com

Orange County’s Rowntree Gardens Senior Living Celebrates Historic 50th Anniversary & Completion of Major Reinvestment Project with Oct. 1 Event

Decades of Devotion Celebration event included ribbon cutting, hosts radio personality Tim Conway Jr. and baseball icon Steve Garvey, tributes to nine long-serving staff, and much more.

2015 marks 50 years that thousands of Orange County seniors have called not-for-profit Rowntree Gardens Senior Living, an inviting, compassionate and caring home. October was also the month that Rowntree Gardens completed its biggest structural improvement/reinvestment since its founding. The organization marked these very special occasions with a major event – the “Decades of Devotion” celebration.

The invitation-only celebration was hosted by popular radio personality Tim Conway Jr., who introduced honorees, and legendary baseball icon Steve Garvey. Both gentlemen met with and sign autographs for guests.

Designed to celebrate the past and embrace the future, the event honored several Rowntree Gardens’ staff who have dedicated most of their professional careers – all more than 20 years and a few more than 40 years – to serving the organization and its senior community members.

“Staff commitment, compassion and sincere caring are hallmarks of Rowntree Gardens,” stated CEO and Board Chair Randy Brown. “The average tenure of our staff is 13 years. Most of our community members consider our folks extended family and friends.”

The Decades of Devotion Celebration happened October 1 from 12-3 p.m., at Rowntree Gardens at 12151 Dale Street, in Stanton.

Elder Care Alliance Promotes Adriene Iverson to President and CEO

Elder Care Alliance in Alameda recently announced the promotion of Interim Chief Adriene Iverson to president and CEO in September. Iverson served as interim president and CEO since April 3. She brings over 20 years of leadership experience in the nonprofit field.

Read the full press release.

Covenant Village of Turlock Maintains Highest Rating from U.S. News & World Report

Contact: Wendy D’Alessandro
wendydalessandro@gmail.com

TURLOCK, Calif. – Covenant Village Care Center, the skilled nursing center at Covenant Village of Turlock, received five stars, the highest possible overall rating, in U.S. News & World Report’s seventh annual Best Nursing Homes.

Out of almost 16,000 nursing centers covered nationwide, the ratings highlight the top providers in each city and state. The goal is to help users find a skilled nursing center with a strong track record of good care. In California, about 32 percent of all nursing homes received an overall five-star rating from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

“Maintaining our five-star rating and three zero deficiency-free surveys reflects our staff’s continued commitment to providing quality skilled nursing care in a safe, compassionate environment,” said Darla Lorenzen, health care administrator at Covenant Village of Turlock. “We are proud we continue to be a trusted source of skilled care for our campus and the Central Valley community and I am honored to work with such a great team.”

Best Nursing Homes draws on CMS data in three categories – health inspections, level of nurse staffing, and quality of care – and gives each an overall rating. U.S. News awarded the “Best Nursing Home” designation to nursing centers that earned an overall rating of five stars from CMS in January 2015.

In the new ratings, the share of nursing homes with an overall rating of five stars decreased to 21.7 percent, down from 24.9 percent last year. The decrease is the result of recent changes implemented by CMS to bolster the federal rating system.

“Finding the right place for an elderly loved one is a challenge millions of Americans face each year,” said Brian Kelly, editor and chief content officer of U.S. News. “We hope our Best Nursing Homes ratings, advice and tools help them navigate this important decision.”

The report is available exclusively online at http://health.usnews.com/best-nursing-homes.

Learn more about Covenant Village of Turlock

 

Terri Cunliffe Named CEO of Covenant Retirement Communities, Inc.

Contact: Wendy D’Alessandro
Wendydalessandro@gmail.com

Covenant Retirement Communities (CRC) recently named Terri Cunliffe as its chief executive officer, effective June 1, 2015. Ms. Cunliffe, who has served as CRC’s COO since 2010 and has been part of the organization for more than 25 years, succeeds current CEO Rick Fisk.
Beginning her career as a nursing home part-time receptionist, she has held a series of progressive leadership roles within CRC, including nursing home administrator and executive director at Covenant Village of Florida.
Ms. Cunliffe earned a Bachelor of Science degree in long-term care administration from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn. and a master’s degree in health services administration from Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Read the full press release here

www.covenantretirement.org

The Samarkand Appoints Jessica Briceño Dining Services Director

Contacts:
Ruth Grande, REGrande@covenantretirement.org
Wendy D’Alessandro, wendydalessandro@gmail.com

The Samarkand in Santa Barbara recently appointed Jessica Briceño as their new Dining Services Director. In her new role, Briceño will oversee all food and beverage operations at the community. She will also manage the Samarkand’s catering.

Briceño has a long history in the hospitality industry, working in the field for more than a decade. She previously served as the food and beverage manager at Ojai Valley Inn and Spa, where she was recognized as Manager of the Year. She also worked for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts at several locations, including Venezuela, Texas and Hawaii, and was general manager of Pangea Bistro in West Palm Beach, Fla.

She is a graduate of Nueva Esparta University in Caracas, Venezuela, where she received a Bachelor’s degree in business administration in the tourism industry.

To learn more about The Samarkand, visit www.TheSamarkand.org. For information on Covenant Retirement Communities, visit www.covenantretirement.org.