Gloucester-Mathews Gazette Journal. Published Sept. 22, 2021
Walter Reed Convalescent and Rehabilitation Center in Gloucester is converting a portion of its facility from long-term care to memory care, increasing the number of beds available for residents with dementia and other memory-related issues.
This week, Virginia Health Services honors Nursing Professional Development Week.
Virginia Health Services has a long history of encouraging development of its team members and promoting from within. View our job opportunities, and know that development is a priority at VHS.
The education team at VHS offers a variety of services to its nursing staff.
Director of Team Member Engagement Kathryn Fisher also can help connect team members to assistance, scholarship opportunities and nursing programs that offer discounts to VHS employees.
The investment in development of our nursing professionals at Virginia Health Services extends beyond our earn-as-you-learn apprenticeship program.
A cornerstone program at the Education, Enrichment, Employment (EEE) Center in Port Warwick, the HAEP apprenticeship offers Care Assistants paid training to graduate to Nurse Aides. The apprenticeship also covers the cost of the certification exam.
It includes wrap-around services through Family Scholar House, which can offer resources and funds to help cover academic coaching, affordable housing, transportation, child care, emergencies and more. It is offered to those in the HAEP grant program at no additional charge throughout the course of the year of their apprenticeship.
VHS Director of Education Bryanna Rhodes said the team at the EEE offers review sessions before Nurse Aide certification exams, which include a written test and mock skills assessments.
Nora Gillespie and Bryanna Rhodes hug during remarks at the July apprenticeship graduation ceremony.
The education team also can offer prep assistance for individuals in a RN program by request.
The team also offers knowledge-based in-services and addresses pressure areas in facilities, such as setting up IV labs, PPE demos and other training. CPR certification training is offered at EEE.
The education team also is the first group to try out new equipment and deliver training.
It also welcomes new employees at orientation.
In pursuing a nursing pathway, Rhodes said talking to the education team is a “good starting point.”
The team can help with school selection and get the process going.
Cerissa Atkins, VHS Process Improvement Manager, said being prepared and setting a timeline is key. “Don’t delay,” she said of starting the process. Deciding where to go, finding financial assistance and applying takes time.
Rhodes said often the VHS facilities’ schedulers will help accommodate school schedules and be flexible with individuals on development pathways.
“The passion has to be there to work in long-term care,” Atkins said.
There are several pathways that can lead to increased salary and professional satisfaction.
Starting as a CNA can develop into a nursing career as a RN or LPN, an educator or a long-term care facility administrator.
Fisher can help individuals manage VHS’ tuition assistance and reimbursement policies, research scholarship opportunities and connect individuals with schools that might be a good fit and/or offer discounted tuition to VHS team members.
“VHS has the flexibility to believe in you,” Rhodes said.
Rhodes joined VHS in December as an educator after working six years as an acute care nurse in an emergency room. She was promoted to director of education a few months after starting.
“You can really grow in a family-centered environment at VHS,” Atkins said.
This week we are highlighting Residents in Virginia Health Services’ assisted living communities as part of National Assisted Living Week.
The communities provide medical assistance to those who need help with ADLs (activities of daily living) while still maintaining independence in a private apartment home.
The Huntington at Newport and The Hamilton at The York offer these senior living options in comfortable, spacious private rooms in Newport News and York County.
Learn more about our Residents and their experiences below.
Elaine Amnott joined The Huntington community in May 2020.
She spent time recovering from a stroke at The Newport and Huntington, where she worked with a speech therapist to learn how to talk again.
“I felt like I was in school. … The therapist was very good. She taught me and I got my speech back,” Mrs. Amnott said.
“I learned independence here – learned I can do more than I thought I could,” she said.
She was born in Newport News, but soon moved to the family tobacco farm in Morehead City, N.C.
“I was a tomboy, through and through,” she says.
She worked for six years as a profiler for the FBI in the 1960s. It’s where she met her husband, Roland John Amnott.
After spending six years with the FBI in Washington, D.C., she and her husband returned to his family home in Maine where they settled for 20 years.
They retired to Florida until Roland Amnott passed away. Elaine Amnott moved back to Newport News at the insistence of her niece who lives here and she has called The Huntington home since May 2020.
Wendy Malvin will try to tell you she’s lived at The Huntington “forever.”
She moved in July 2019.
“They treat you really well here,” she said. “They take care of your needs. The food is great.”
Originally from Morehead City, N.C., Mrs. Malvin moved to Newport News when she married her husband, a native of the area, after attending Mary Washington College.
“I love being in Newport News. It’s been my home a long time,” she said.
She was a legal secretary for the law firm of Jones, Blechman, Woltz and Kelly for more than 30 years. She also took on a volunteer administrative director role with People to People, an organization founded by one of the attorneys, Herbert V. Kelly, current Newport News Mayor McKinley Price and other civic leaders in 1992.
People to People worked to improve race relations in the city. Mrs. Malvin was featured in the Daily Press in February 2001 after being honored with People to People’s first Hero Award for her service to the organization. She keeps the clip framed in her apartment at The Huntington.
Ada Ward considers herself a “pro” about assisted living communities. She helped her mother, who lived until age 97, navigate moving into assisted living.
“They truly get it right,” she said of The Huntington. The management is considerate and attentive to Residents’ needs.
One of Mrs. Ward’s daughters lives nearby, and she likes the proximity to her family. She appreciates the sense of safety and security Huntington offers.
“I’m very impressed … This is tops,” she said. She moved into the Huntington in February from another assisted living community.
Mrs. Ward is originally from Hampton, and was a buyer for Leggett department stores. She stepped away from that to bring up three children. Her late husband, Don Ward, worked for NASA on the Apollo space program. He spent much of 20 years commuting between NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton and Cape Canaveral, Florida.
“It was a very exciting time for us,” she said.
Everette White is glad to not have to move. After spending a career in the Air Force, he retired after being stationed at Langley AFB in Hampton and has called The Huntington home since October 2015.
He was an entomologist for the Air Force, retiring in 1970 after 21.5 years of service. He then worked in pest control and fumigation in Hampton.
He served in Korea and Vietnam, and he and his family – late wife Mary, a son and two daughters — lived in the Midwest, Morocco, Oklahoma, Germany and Spain during his time in the Air Force.
“We traveled all over Europe,” he said of their being stationed abroad.
“And I’ll never forget, my wife and kids flew into Casablanca dressed for Michigan winter. It was 109 degrees when they got off the plane.”
One of his daughters now lives in Illinois, and his other daughter lives nearby in Hampton, as do some of his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. His son passed away.
“I didn’t want to move again,” he said of selecting The Huntington. “I like it here.”
Rose Marie Hopkins joined The Hamilton community in October 2019. She moved in following the passing of her husband, Gerald Ray Hopkins in July 2019.
Gerald Ray was the love of her life – they were married for 74 years.
Mrs. Hopkins was born in 1928 in Seaford, Virginia, to a Chesapeake Bay waterman and a stay-at-home mom. Her childhood was spent going to school, playing in the creek and spending time with friends and family.
She graduated from Jeffs High School in 1944 and was named “Prettiest Girl” by her senior classmates. (Jeffs is now Poquoson High School). Back in those days, there were no high schools in York County so Mrs. Hopkins had to travel to Poquoson to complete her education.
After graduating high school, Mrs. Hopkins went to work for the federal government at Naval Weapons Station Yorktown. She learned bookkeeping and was hired to work for the Office of the Comptroller. After the birth of her four children, Mrs. Hopkins stayed home to care for her family for the next 25 years. When her youngest child was 12, she returned to her career at the Office of the Comptroller and was ultimately promoted to Supervisor.
Mrs. Hopkins’ life has always been focused on three things: faith, family and food.
Her family was a source of joy but also a lot of work!
She has always been the backbone of the family, providing loving care and support as her family grew and thrived. Her cooking ability is legendary and she passed on many of her skills in the kitchen to her children and grandchildren.
Mrs. Hopkins is also a devout Christian and spent many years working in her church, conducting the children’s choir, singing with the adult choir, working with the annual church bazaar and serving on many committees.
She has been a member of Zion United Methodist her entire life and still attends services there.
We are glad to help Mrs. Hopkins call The Hamilton in York County home. She enjoys the outings to restaurants and museums, and visits from her loved ones.
The graduation ceremony Thursday looked a little different.
Apprentice graduation was streamed on Zoom and had limited in-person attendance.
The hybrid ceremony was streamed on Zoom, with limited in-person attendance at Virginia Health Services’ Employment, Enrichment, Education (EEE) Center in Port Warwick.
It was done to minimize risk, given rising COVID cases in the community. Each graduate was allowed one in-person attendee.
The eight apprentices graduated from Care Assistants to Nurse Aides following a vigorous classroom and clinical “boot camp.”
Six will work in Virginia Health Services facilities before taking their state certification exam to be CNAs.
The graduates are: Lindsey Valdivia (valedictorian), Maiah Banks (salutatorian), Regina Benson, Latoria Cofield, Shavonte Gary, Jessica Johnson, Shalayia Johnson and Michael Polite.
The camaraderie at every graduation is always evident – these students have spent a lot of time doing hard work together – and there are always heartfelt moments.
None more so Thursday than when the graduates added a surprise ending to the ceremony for instructor Nora Gillespie. As her solo last class before she (semi) retires, they walked out with a “Happy Retirement” banner, gifts and cake.
A fifth class – with students at Walter Reed Convalescent and Rehabilitation Center and the EEE – begins next week. Gillespie will teach her cohort at the EEE with a new instructor, handing off full-time teaching responsibilities before retiring.
The graduates are: Lindsey Valdivia (valedictorian), Maiah Banks (salutatorian), Regina Benson, Latoria Cofield, Shavonte Gary, Jessica Johnson, Shalayia Johnson and Michael Polite.
Virginia Health Services CEO Mark Klyczek addresses the graduates Thursday, Sept. 9, 2021.
Virginia Health Services President and CEO Mark Klyczek opened the ceremony with remarks, congratulating the graduates.
“This is an important step in your career journey,” he said, “but it isn’t your only one. … There are so many options in healthcare today. …
“Go down the path that you think will get you the furthest in the long haul.”
Gillespie said it was an “intense journey” to get to graduation. The class has to get through 14 tests and learn and execute 22 skills.
“You were all up to the task,” she said. “You all said on the first day you had the heart and compassion to do this, and you demonstrated it in clinicals.”
The class did its clinical work at York Convalescent and Rehabilitation Center.
Instructor Nora Gillespie hugs student Michael Polite.
Gillespie is never speechless when it comes to celebrating her students. She piles on the platitudes because the students earn them. She is very proud of the students she instructs.
Benson, Gillespie said, found her focus and “knocked clinicals out of the park.”
Cofield comes from a family of Virginia Health Services team members. She “glowed on the unit” during clinicals, Gillespie said. She also received Gillespie’s heart superlative, which goes to the student who gives their all in the clinical environment. Cofield “beamed,” Gillespie said. “It made me speechless.”
Gary, who is moving with her family to Texas, “talks fast and was in it to win it.” Her instruction will carry over to apply to take the certification exam in Texas.
Jessica Johnson “sat up front, center and gave 100%,” Gillespie said, adding, “You said from the start it’s in your heart and in your blood to do this.”
Shalayia Johnson didn’t let anything stop her from being in class and getting the work done, Gillespie said.
Salutatorian Maiah Banks receives her certificate.
Polite was “determined to be successful,” she said. He earned her clinical superlative. “There was no attitude. It was always, ‘I’m on it, Ms. Nora.’ The Residents loved you.”
Banks, the salutatorian, was accepted to and started nursing school in the RN program at ECPI while finishing her class. Gillespie said she “thrived in the clinical environment.” The class, Gillespie said, set Banks up to be “an excellent nurse.”
Valedictorian Lindsey Valdivia receives her certificate from instructor Nora Gillespie and VHS CEO Mark Klyczek.
Valedictorian Lindsey Valdivia sat in the back, Gillespie said. “Her heart is pretty amazing.”
She had perfect attendance, and top marks in class and clinicals. She also, Gillespie said, “is an outstanding individual.” She offered words of encouragement to her classmates, got snacks when the class ran out and made sure the students who had to sit out a few days after possible COVID exposure didn’t get behind.
“I’m glad to have met you,” Gillespie said. “You all benefited from what (Valdivia) did.”
Valedictorian Lindsey Valdivia honored her late grandmother wearing a scrub top with her image on it. “I know she’s with me here,” she said.
Her comments were met with applause and agreement.
Valdivia’s grandmother, who she was very close to, passed away a little over a week before graduation.
“So I decided to bring her with me,” Valdivia said, pointing to her scrub top with an image of her. “I know she’s here with me.”
“Your grandmother would be very proud of who you are,” Gillespie said.
Valdivia thanked Virginia Health Services for the opportunity in her valedictorian remarks.
“It encourages a lot of people to go further in their careers and their lives,” she said. “They made us realize our value.”
She recommended no matter what, finish what you start and “whatever you do, do it to the best you can.”
Valdivia said she got into healthcare because she saw what aging had done to her grandparents and she wanted to be an asset to others’ families dealing with aging loved ones.
Turning to Gillespie, she said, “And we couldn’t have asked for a better teacher. … She made sure we understood what she taught us. She was very patient and kind. She cared about us.”
The class carried in a retirement banner to celebrate instructor Nora Gillespie.
The graduates stole the show at the end, rendering Gillespie speechless. To honor her impending retirement, they carried out a banner, gifts and a cake.
Instructor Nora Gillespie was rendered speechless by the retirement cake from her students.
“I’ve been trying to retire (for years),” she said, “but I keep coming back because I love what I do. I think I was put here for a reason … and it’s going to be a difficult thing to let go of.”
She had to take a minute to compose herself and thank the students.
“You’re my last solo class, and I will carry you with me always,” she said.
Six of the graduates will continue working as Nurse Aides with Virginia Health Services at Northampton, James River, The Newport and Coliseum convalescent and rehabilitation centers. They will be able to take advantage of the exam prep offered by VHS’ education team ahead of taking their certification exams.
Previous cohorts graduated in April, June and July.
There have been 40 enrollees in the apprenticeship program since its launch in March. The VHS earn-as-you-learn apprenticeship program is part of the Healthcare Apprenticeship Extension Program, which is partially funded by a grant from the Department of Labor.
Learn more about the program here.
Applications to the program are accepted on a rolling basis. To apply, visit our job listing.
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Stephanie Johnston has joined the Virginia Health Services team as Executive Director of Senior Living. She is responsible for establishing the strategic direction to achieve
