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Schoellkopf Health Center to reward staff for achieving highest Five Star national quality rating

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Fri, Feb 16th 2018 03:15 pm
Cash bonuses will range up to $2,500 based on employment status, seniority
Schoellkopf Health Center employees will be given some welcome rewards in the form of cash bonuses recognizing the high quality care they provide, officials announced Friday.
The center, located on the Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center campus, has been named the recipient of a performance payment award from the New York State Health Department for maintaining the highest standards of quality care for its residents. Memorial's board of directors and administration decided to share that award directly with all of Schoellkopf's employees - the people who earned it, said Memorial President and CEO Joseph A. Ruffolo.
It is believed to be the first time in the state that such an award will be directly shared with the employees who earned it.
"In my opinion, the role of the nursing home worker is the most challenging job in America," Ruffolo said. "Nursing home employees do more than simply provide care for the elderly and infirm - they create a home for them. In a very real sense, nursing home residents become the staff's second family. The Schoellkopf Health Center team has demonstrated sustained excellence and truly deserve this recognition."
The bonuses will range from $100 to $2,500 based on each qualifying employee's work status and seniority. Nursing home administration will work collaboratively with 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, which represents union employees at Schoellkopf, to work out details.
The center's employees were feted Friday in ceremonies celebrating the nursing facility's second consecutive top rating by the New York State Nursing Home Quality Initiative, and its Five Star overall rating by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
"In both cases, these were total team efforts," Schoellkopf Administrator John Durno said. "Our nursing staff, social workers, rehabilitation team, dietitians, activities staff and others work together day in and day out to give our residents the best of care in a homelike setting."
The state initiative is a quality and performance evaluation project aimed at improving the quality of care for residents in Medicaid-certified nursing facilities across New York. Nursing homes are graded annually in the areas of quality, compliance and efficiency. Schoellkopf has been rated in the first quintile, making it one of the top-performing facilities in the state, for the past two years.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently gave the Schoellkopf Health Center a Five Star rating - its highest - on its nursing home compare website. CMS developed nursing home compare and the star rating system to provide consumers with an easy way to search for nursing homes that provide the quality of care they desire. All data on the website is provided as a public service.
The Schoellkopf Health Center provides short- and long-term care for individuals in need of nursing or rehabilitative services.
Located adjacent to both Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center and the restored Schoellkopf Park, the 120-bed Schoellkopf Health Center features all private rooms. Experienced staff members provide quality care, comprehensive physical and occupational therapies, in-house dialysis services and a calendar of intergenerational activities.
To learn more or to request a tour of Schoellkopf Health Center, call 716-278-4578.

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