Cerenity Care Center – White Bear Lake, Minn., has been recognized as a 2010 recipient of the Silver Achievement in Quality National Quality Award, while Benedictine Health Center, Duluth, Minn., has been recognized with a Bronze – Commitment to Quality Award presented by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL).

This year, 39 nursing home and assisted living communities out of 271 applications from across the nation received the Silver Quality Award. Another 701 nursing homes and assisted living communities applied for the Bronze Quality Award with just over 460 organizations receiving the award. The awards will be formally presented during AHCA/NCAL’s 61st Annual Convention and Exposition, October 10-13, 2010 in Long Beach, Calf.

“We applaud the staff and leadership of these facilities for demonstrating national distinction in their quest for performance excellence,” said Bruce Yarwood, president and CEO of AHCA/NCAL. “Being judged to be worthy of a Quality Award demonstrates a commitment to a rigorous journey of continuous improvement and a good level of sustainable performance.

"We continue to be very proud of the commitment of our participating organizations to the BHS Performance Excellence agenda using the Baldrige Health Care Criteria. The success of Cerenity White Bear Lake and BHC Duluth in achieving this recognition exemplifies the strong commitment of the staff of these facilities to delivering a high quality of care and service to their patients and residents," said Dale Thompson, BHS president/CEO.

Implemented by AHCA/NCAL in 1996, the National Quality Award Program is based on the core values and criteria of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award Program. It provides a pathway for providers of long term and post-acute care services to journey towards performance excellence. Facilities begin their quality journey at the Bronze level where they are asked to develop an organizational profile including vision and mission statements, an awareness of their environment and customers’ expectations.

Facilities that apply for the Silver Quality Award, formerly known as the Step II Award, must demonstrate very good performance outcomes that have evolved from sustainable approaches to the core values and concepts of visionary leadership, focus on the future, resident-focused excellence, management by innovation, and focus on results and creating value.

All AHCA Quality Awards are judged by a Board of highly trained examiners who come from within and outside of the long term care profession. BHS Master examiners include: Chris Boldt, BHS Operations vice president; Jill Brown, Villa St. Vincent; Mark Cairns, CEO, Madonna Living Community; Dawn Chiabotti, CEO, St. Raphael’s Health & Rehabilitation Center; Jon Frantsvog, CEO, St. Benedict’s Health Center; and Jeri Reinhardt, BHS director of quality.

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