News
March 2010
California Nursing Facility Shines with HSAG's Help
The director of nursing at Upland Rehabilitation and Care Center in Upland, California, didn't think she could do much better reducing the facility's restraint numbers two years ago—not until she linked up with the staff at HSAG of California, that is.
"The numbers were crazy when I first came here," said Dulce Posa, who joined Upland as nursing director in January 2006. "The restraint numbers were 66 on a census of 180. Three years later we went down to 35. I thought, this is it, I'm done. I didn't think I could do anything more about it."
That's when the staff at HSAG's California office stepped in. In December 2008, Upland began working collaboratively with HSAG of California to improve the rates of pressure ulcers and restraints. Today, Upland's restraint numbers are in the single digits, at six, and the facility has won a clinical excellence award from its parent company, the Ensign Group, as well.
Sheila Gray, quality improvement specialist in the California office was "relentless" with her coordination and with a barrage of informational materials, Dulce said. This material included a checklist that has been a vital tool in reducing the facility's restraint numbers, she added.
"The materials, wow! They were amazing materials. Sheila understands what I need, and understands why," Dulce said. She has shared the materials with 12 facilities that belong to a "sub-company" that was formed by Ensign and that includes Upland.
In January, during its annual meeting, Ensign recognized Upland for outstanding clinical performance in 2009. The recognition awards are recommended each year by clinical consultants "from Arizona to California to Utah to Colorado to Texas," Dulce said. "You don't know whether you've made it on their list" until they announce it.
Ensign operates independent subsidiaries that provide skilled nursing and assisted living services, occupational and speech therapies, hospice services, and other rehabilitative and health care services at 79 facilities in California, Arizona, Texas, Washington, Utah, Idaho, and Colorado.
Dulce can't say enough about her facility's collaboration effort with HSAG of California. She calls it "an amazing partnership."