The Lennox Good Samaritan Center has something to celebrate—recently they were awarded an overall 5-Star rating in the Nursing Home Compare Score. Only the top 10% of nursing homes in the state receive 5-Stars. Christine Boyum, Director of Nursing at the Lennox Good Samaritan Center explained more about the Nursing Home Compare rating, which is accessed through the medicare.gov website.
“It’s all public knowledge; a lot of hospitals use the site to show families where to go,” Boyum said.
The 5-Star rating for Lennox is something she is proud of. The score calculations are complicated and ratings use data and annual surveys and complaint surveys that go back several quarters for some categories and several years for others. Boyum said this is the first time they have had a deficiency free survey since before the 1990’s.
She said the key to their success has been a team process that includes education and communication and a dedicated floor staff to implement patient plans and provide good care.
“We hold quality of life meetings with the interdisciplinary team. We meet and go through the resident’s information. We run reports to see the things they are flagging on, and we look through those numbers each month and try to figure out a solution,” Boyum said.
She noted that although a lot is focused on nursing, the dietary and activity aspect of a patients’ stay are factors that get included in the 5-Star rating.
She said, “We try to live every day like it’s survey day. Every day we try to do our best and follow the rules. State surveyors come anytime.”
The 5-Star rating is a snapshot in time, but Boyum said it is a useful tool for families and hospitals to use when researching options for their loved ones.
To celebrate their 5-Star rating the Lennox Good Samaritan Center is hosting an ice cream social on Wednesday, August 9th from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Everyone in the community is invited to attend. Entertainment will be provided by Sandra Harman from 7 to 8 p.m.
The Lennox Good Samaritan Center opened in January of 1960 and was the first new unit built in the state of South Dakota outside of Sioux Falls. Over the years, the center has changed the scope of services it offers, and continues to find ways to improve and enhance the care they offer.
Just last year they introduced two-way, audiovisual telemedicine technology through a partnership with Avera eLongTermCare (eLTC). eLTC is a part of Avera eCARE, which is a “virtual health center” in Sioux Falls that is staffed around the clock by physicians, advanced practice providers and registered nurses. In addition, eLTC has geriatric specialized physicians, nurses, pharmacists, social workers and behavioral health specialists.
The Lennox Good Samaritan Center is licensed for 59 residents and currently has 48. The Lennox Good Samaritan Center employs 70 people. Todd Anderson is the Administrator at the Lennox Good Samaritan Center and has been in that position for 11 years.
The Good Samaritan Center is located at 404 East 6th Ave., Lennox.