The Health Administration (HA) programs at Saint Joseph's College of Maine (SJC) are delivered through distance education (online) and include undergraduate and graduate degrees, certificates and individual courses in the fields of health administration and long-term care administration. We use this blog to post regular updates and to solicit feedback from current and former students and faculty. You can find out more at our website at www.sjcme.edu/gps. We welcome your comments.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Salute to Long Term Care Administrators
March 12-16, 2012 is National Long Term Care Administrator's Week. As part of that celebration, Long Term Living magazine has published an article on its website. The article, by Marianna Kern Grachek, President and CEO of the American College of Health Care Administrators, is titled “Saluting today’s (and tomorrow’s) LTC administrators.” It describes the role of today’s long term care administrators and the pressures they face. The article, which can be found at http://www.ltlmagazine.com/article/saluting-today-s-and-tomorrow-s-ltc-administrators. Our own John Pratt, Assistant Program Director, assisted Ms. Grachek in developing the article.
March 12-16, 2012 is National Long Term Care Administrator's Week. As part of that celebration, Long Term Living magazine has published an article on its website. The article, by Marianna Kern Grachek, President and CEO of the American College of Health Care Administrators, is titled “Saluting today’s (and tomorrow’s) LTC administrators.” It describes the role of today’s long term care administrators and the pressures they face. The article can be found at http://www.ltlmagazine.com/article/saluting-today-s-and-tomorrow-s-ltc-administrators. Our own John Pratt, Assistant Program Director, assisted Ms. Grachek in developing the article.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Happy Long Term Care Administrators’ Week!
The week of March 12-16 has been designated by the American College of Health Care Administrators (ACHCA) to celebrate the contributions of Long Term Care Administrators nationally, and to recognize the importance of such a noble profession.
The first known example of a long-term care administrator is referenced in the Biblical story of the Good Samaritan. The injured man was left with an innkeeper who agreed to tend to his needs for a length of time. Today, the administrator’s role and responsibilities have grown tremendously. In an age of increasing elder demographics, a baby boomer generation with a strong consumer orientation, mobile extended family, increasing expectations regarding quality, increasingly complex medical conditions and treatments, growing rate of lawsuits, stringent regulations, uncertainty around various health care reform initiatives, a need to provide “quality of life” as well as “quality of care” amidst a more diverse cultural population, and the need to exercise financial stewardship when revenues decrease and expenses increase, the administrator must strike a balance that is increasingly challenging to find. Nursing facilities are responsible for the entire care of their residents 24/7/365, sometimes for years, with a margin for error of essentially zero. All of this care ultimately rests on the shoulders of the administrator.
Today’s administrators serve out of an enormous sense of dedication and compassion. Despite the challenges they face, they diligently and enthusiastically aspire to meet the needs and desires of each resident to the best of their ability. Most administrators will deflect any praise to their front-line staff, as is deserved. For this week, let’s tip our hats to the devoted professionals who have chosen the career of long-term care administration. To my colleagues in this field, I salute you!
Phil DuBois
The first known example of a long-term care administrator is referenced in the Biblical story of the Good Samaritan. The injured man was left with an innkeeper who agreed to tend to his needs for a length of time. Today, the administrator’s role and responsibilities have grown tremendously. In an age of increasing elder demographics, a baby boomer generation with a strong consumer orientation, mobile extended family, increasing expectations regarding quality, increasingly complex medical conditions and treatments, growing rate of lawsuits, stringent regulations, uncertainty around various health care reform initiatives, a need to provide “quality of life” as well as “quality of care” amidst a more diverse cultural population, and the need to exercise financial stewardship when revenues decrease and expenses increase, the administrator must strike a balance that is increasingly challenging to find. Nursing facilities are responsible for the entire care of their residents 24/7/365, sometimes for years, with a margin for error of essentially zero. All of this care ultimately rests on the shoulders of the administrator.
Today’s administrators serve out of an enormous sense of dedication and compassion. Despite the challenges they face, they diligently and enthusiastically aspire to meet the needs and desires of each resident to the best of their ability. Most administrators will deflect any praise to their front-line staff, as is deserved. For this week, let’s tip our hats to the devoted professionals who have chosen the career of long-term care administration. To my colleagues in this field, I salute you!
Phil DuBois
Monday, March 05, 2012
Congratulations to the Maine Chapter of ACHCA!!
The Maine ACHCA chapter was selected to receive two (2) achievement awards at ACHCA's 50th anniversary convocation in Nashville. The first award is for their business affiliate program and the other for the membership recruitment and retention project! This is certainly an outstanding accomplishment and contributes to the five (5) awards they have received in the past for the following initiatives:
1. Maine Chapter Newsletter
2. Leaders as Mentors Program
3. Chapter Participation in ACHCA Initiatives
4. Chapter Leadership Initiative
5. Chapter Revitalization Project
Congratulations for all of your hard work and dedication!! We are proud to be affiliated with you!
1. Maine Chapter Newsletter
2. Leaders as Mentors Program
3. Chapter Participation in ACHCA Initiatives
4. Chapter Leadership Initiative
5. Chapter Revitalization Project
Congratulations for all of your hard work and dedication!! We are proud to be affiliated with you!
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