The Gloucester Gazette-Journal, based in Gloucester County, Virginia, shared the news that Virginia Health Services CEO and President Mark Klyczek was one of 39 participants selected by the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) as a future leader in long-term and post-acute care. Klyczek will participate in AHCA/NCAL’s Future Leaders program, which provides year-long training and mentorship for professionals in long-term and post-acute care.
It also was included in the press release by the AHCA/NCAL, which was released at the start of the leadership program’s conference in September, and included in McKnight’s Senior Living News brief on Sept. 24, 2024.
From the apprentice program to in-services, Virginia Health Services is committed to the development of its team members and promoting from within. Nursing Professional Development Week (Sept. 14-20) presents the opportunity to highlight professional development opportunities available through VHS.
Apprentice program
Our education team is a starting point for many new team members.
Care Assistants enter the earn-as-you-learn apprenticeship program and graduate to Nurse Aides. The program covers the cost of the certification exam to be a CNA and the education team offers reviews to further prepare students for the test.
The Peninsula class is held at the Education, Enrichment, Employment (EEE) Center in Port Warwick, with hands-on training at James River or Coliseum Nursing and Rehabilitation Centers. A program also is offered in Gloucester at Walter Reed Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Learn more about the program at vahs.com/apprenticeship.
The program is led by Director of Education Princess Henderson, BSN, RN. Instructors include Terry Williamson, LPN; Nora Gillespie, RN; and Tracy Williams, RN, BSN.
The team, which includes Process Improvement Manager Cerissa Atkins, also organizes and leads new employee orientation at the Launch Center, also on the corporate campus in Port Warwick.
Nursing team training
The investment in development of our nursing professionals at Virginia Health Services extends beyond our earn-as-you-learn apprenticeship program.
The education team is the first group to try out new equipment and deliver training. It also can offer prep assistance for individuals in a RN program by request. It can help with school selection and get the process going.
Cerissa 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.
Princess said nursing schedulers will help accommodate school schedules and be flexible with individuals on development pathways.
The education 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.
Partnership programs
They also work with Director of Team Engagement Kathryn Fisher, who can connect team members to assistance, scholarship opportunities and nursing programs that offer discounts to VHS employees.
Outside opportunities to grow at Virginia Health Services include partnerships with ECPI and South University. Both offer discounted tuition to VHS employees and their dependents. The universities offer nursing programs, and also extend to team members in dietary, accounting, IT and management.
Join our team
Virginia Health Services offers career options in nursing including CNA, LPN, RN, MDS roles and leadership positions. We provide flexible scheduling options, competitive wages and benefits, early wage access and more. Visit vahs.com/careers to start your career journey with VHS today.
In honor of National Assisted Living Week (Sept. 8-14), we are spotlighting residents at The Hamilton Assisted Living. We also are spotlighting residents at The Arbors Independent Living in Port Warwick as part of an all-encompassing Senior Living Week celebration.
Care of our residents is the heart of what we do. Our team works to support these individuals to live their best life. We are thankful they chose to call Virginia Health Services senior living communities home.
The Arbors Independent Living
Lynn Bush: New to Virginia
When you didn’t call Virginia home until two years ago, moving into a new place might be considered a challenge. Lynn Bush hasn’t felt that way about The Arbors Independent Living.
“In capital letters, I love it here,” she says. “Absolutely love it.”
She moved into The Arbors about two years ago from Colorado. Her son and his family relocated to York County and she wasn’t interested in living across the country from her only grandson.
Her son and daughter-in-law “found this place and it is perfect,” she says. “I don’t have to cook, I don’t have to clean up too much. I just love it.”
Lynn says she likes the variety of menu items at The Arbors — “it’s not just a couple of things, it’s an actual menu like at a restaurant and changes all the time. It’s good, and it’s hot when you get it.”
She also takes advantage of the complimentary transportation to get to doctors’ appointments. She gave up her license before moving and, being new to the area, doesn’t know how to get around.
Lynn says she is getting to know more about Virginia by taking trips arranged by the Life Enrichment Director, including to a farm in Mathews where she adored the pups.
“I’m a major pet fan,” she says. She also likes it when the pet therapy dogs visit on Mondays.
“I want to see more of the area on sightseeing trips,” she says. “I have seen practically nothing of Virginia except when we go on the bus. Only thing I see with my kids are my grandson’s baseball games.”
While she doesn’t play Bingo, she participates in other activities such as arts and crafts, and attends whatever socials she can.
And she does it all in the company of the friends she’s made while living at The Arbors.
“Everybody here — staff and residents — are so friendly. I don’t know how they all remember my name. The staff impressed me. They knew my name when I came. It’s just super friendly.
“When I first got here, my brother helped move me from Colorado. I had a fair amount of stuff; my kids had brought my furniture. A young man helped with my bags and told me, ‘welcome to Virginia, you’ll find us to be friendly here.’ And it is. It’s noticeable.”
She says she surprised herself by making good friends quickly because “I’m not usually very ‘joiny’ and it takes me a while to get close to someone. It didn’t here, something just clicked, and I think a lot of it is the attitude. Most everybody is happy to be here.”
Why Virginia?
Originally from Ohio, Lynn lived in Florida for 20 years — “it’s hot, sticky and there’s big bugs there” — and Colorado for about a decade.
“It’s so beautiful, just everywhere you look there’s scenery. You drive down the road, you see mountain goats. It’s incredible,” she says.
For all its natural beauty, the public school system left something to be desired. Her grandson had the opportunity to select a region for the family to move for better schooling opportunities.
He chose Grafton and is a catcher on the baseball team. He also plays for an American Legion team, a summer team and picks up other games whenever he can.
“He’s only happy when he’s playing baseball,” Lynn says smiling.
Her grandson had a built-in group of friends moving the region, having met several kids from here while playing travel baseball.
“Grandma’s not bragging,” she says, “but he’s really, really smart.”
She thinks her son and daughter-in-law are “super excellent parents. Their whole life exists around him. Yet he’s not really spoiled, he’s a really good kid, gets good grades, he’s active, he’s in with good people. It’s amazing. He just turned 16.”
Family life
Lynn says she’s from a “big, blended family.”
She said there were 10 people in the house while she was growing up.
“You always had someone to play with. I truly loved being in a big family. Thought that’s what I wanted, but it didn’t work out for me and I’m grateful for that,” she says.
While in Florida, she was a telephone operator for 20 years. It was her dream job, though she no longer can pinpoint why.
“I loved my job, but there were a lot of things about it that I didn’t love,” she says. “I was directory assistance. They gave us 17 seconds to give a greeting, what city and state, hear the request and find it and send it out. All of that in 17 seconds. That’s fast … By the time I retired, we basically covered the United States.”
She’s carried over some of her long-time hobbies to The Arbors. She enjoys crocheting, knitting, quilting, and the organized painting projects.
“They started a book club, and I always have a book in my hand. I wanted to join, but I read too fast and I don’t like being told what to read. I read a lot of mysteries, crime. I like true crime; I like that in television too,” she says.
She also likes history, and often says she can’t believe how much she’s lived through.
“Time just goes by so fast — when I think of the things I’ve lived through, doesn’t seem I’m as old as I am … Man walked on the moon, who would imagine that.”
She says she is looking forward to exploring more of Virginia and spending time with her family.
“I am certainly glad the kids found this place for me. I really like Virginia; I would like to get to see a little more of it. Hopefully, maybe when football season starts, (my family) will have more time to take me to see some things. In the meantime, I just sign up to go wherever they go to see what it’s like.”
Merendinos: Family is where you are
Their children had their best interests at heart. Tony and Terri Merendino moved into The Arbors Independent Living about two years ago from an apartment off Styron Square.
“My darling children decided I should be in a senior dwelling and not have to worry about anything,” Terri says with a smile.
The Merendinos resisted for a while, but with Tony in his 90s and Terri being 88, it was time to leave the cooking and cleaning to someone else.
They have a two-bedroom apartment.
“It’s huge. Even the kitchen is so big. There’s a beautiful bedroom and we use the other room for Tony’s office and den,” Terri says.
The Merendinos have three children, six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Most of their family lives nearby. Transplants from New Jersey, Tony and Terri settled in the Newport News area about 40 years ago when Tony took a job managing the region for Pepperidge Farm.
When their son visits, he helps Tony with the paperwork. One of their daughters does their grocery store shopping.
It gives the couple plenty of time to visit with family and friends, go to the socials and other events at The Arbors, and continue telling their story. And, of course, bragging on their grand and great-grandchildren.
“I’ve had a very interesting life. I thank God all the time,” Terri says. “I love people. I’ve learned a lot. Our grandchildren are really something — they’re very smart.”
Working Girl
Not even school could get in the way of Terri being a star employee — starting at 13.
She spent the summer as a temp in her uncle’s law office when she was 13. She raised eyebrows when the lawyers realized she had taught herself to type and could take dictation.
Terri spent time in high school working as temporary secretaries in several companies in New York City, not far from her family’s home across the Hudson River in Jersey City, N.J.
“My whole life I have been hired by everybody,” she says, laughing. “When I tell you I’ve probably 30 or 40 jobs in my life. I would be working somewhere and would be offered another. I opened a lot of companies.”
She planned to go to law school after graduating high school.
“The I met him,” she says, referencing Tony in the next room. “That was 68 years ago.”
They met while both were attendants in a friend’s wedding. Another bridesmaid also had her eye on Tony, Terri says, but “I told her she didn’t have a chance.”
He didn’t have any paper or pen to take her phone number, so she wrote it in the pollen dust on his car. He called the next day.
Tony was in the Navy. “He was very shy. This gorgeous guy was so shy,” she says with a grin. “I like him, he’s a lot of fun. And I decided to keep him.”
They’ve been married for 66 years.
She never did get that law degree, but has held many roles. One she enjoyed the most was leading bus tours all over the country, which she did for 20 years. It gave her — and often Tony — the opportunity to travel all over and meet a lot of people. She also planned weddings.
“I’ve had a very interesting life,” she says. “I did a lot of things, and I talk to God all the time. Life should be fun.”
The location in York County is perfect — it’s near their daughter, who has them to dinner each Thursday. The couple, married 63 years, lived on the Peninsula most of their life. Ruby recently turned 89 and Bob is 86. They met after both moved here — though Bob says he had to put in the work to get Ruby to go out with him.
Ruby and Bob Fleshman have been married 63 years, and while both hail from the mountains, they returned to the Peninsula to call The Hamilton home.
Bob attended the Apprentice School and worked at the Newport News shipyard for 43 years as a pattern maker, draftsman and designer, and estimated contracts for Naval aircraft carriers and submarines.
Ruby was a secretary at a hospital and church, and a stay-at-home mother for their two children. In addition to their daughter, the Fleshmans have a son in Florida who recently retired from a large national accounting firm. They also have four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, who they are delighted to see regularly.
Return to the Peninsula
The Fleshmans retired to Staunton for about 10 years before returning to the Peninsula.
“We both came from the mountains,” Bob says. (He is from High Springs and Ruby is from Rainer, West Virginia.) “We wanted to get back there.”
As they got older, they wanted to be closer to their family and knew they needed a little assistance. Bob could no longer help Ruby up from a fall alone.
“Our kids insisted on in-home care or AL for around the clock care,” Bob says. “I can’t get her up by myself if she falls.”
The Fleshmans say their children helped them find a spacious two-bedroom apartment at The Hamilton. It’s given all of them peace of mind.
The nursing team has helped Ruby if she becomes dizzy, taking her blood pressure and making sure she stays hydrated. They also enjoy having meals and housekeeping provided, and the array of activities and events that are continuously onsite.
“It’s three meals a day, which is tremendous, and there’s a variety of food,” Bob says. “Ruby did all the cooking many years ago, and when she stopped cooking, we went to a restaurant for 15 years. I never learned how to cook, I can’t boil water. We went out to eat all the time and it got old after a while. Now there’s a meal waiting on me down there.”
Activity Director Kirstie Saunders keeps an active schedule for residents.
“Kirstie’s good,” Ruby says. “We love her.”
They play Bingo and Uno once a week, attend events such as monthly birthday parties and live music. There’s a putter pad set up on the third floor Bob utilizes to keep up his swing. They also enjoy bus rides to scenic locations and going out to coffee shops with their Hamilton friends.
Bob also likes digging in dirt and weeds the garden and flower beds in the courtyard. The Fleshmans have enjoyed the fresh tomato sandwiches.
“I sit out there and watch,” Ruby says with a laugh.
Peggy Bruce: Rock and Roll
A whirlwind of treasures, kindness and emotion envelop you when you step into Peggy Bruce’s apartment at The Hamilton Assisted Living. It’s the result of a life well lived.
Peggy moved into The Hamilton shortly after Christmas on the heels of her husband’s unexpected passing. She is still organizing their Marlbank neighborhood home for eventual sale, and settling into her space at The Hamilton.
The Hamilton team and her proximity to her former neighborhood — 1.7 miles away — smoothed the transition.
“When I decided this was a good idea, I wanted to be close to my neighborhood. I knew my neighbors would visit,” she said. “I have some really wonderful friends; they’re more like family. The staff here is fabulous. They’re like family. The nurses are like family to me. I just love them. I’d do anything I could for them (that I could).”
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In addition to the location, Peggy says she liked the sales team and the types of apartments at The Hamilton. She participates in as much as she is able.
“I have a lot of doctors’ appointments, but do as many activities as I can,” she says.
“When Kirstie does something, it’s top notch. She is amazing. The things she thinks of – I think she could write a book to help other activity directors. One my favorites is the tour of the world. We have passports that get stamped and a flag in our dessert.”
She is getting to know The Hamilton’s residents and is getting to be pretty good friends with a few of them.
“Everybody here is so kind and caring and helpful. They think of what to do for you before you of it yourself,” she says.
Before he passed, Peggy’s husband was being treating for leukemia. The former Navy lieutenant commander was not a patient person, she says, but “he was a good guy and I was lucky to have him. He just helped me so much, then it was my turn to try to help him.”
He went into the Navy out of high school, and among several locations, was stationed at Groton, Connecticut, and Norfolk.
“He was a nuclear sub guy,” she says.
They met while she was singing with the band Boulevard 58 when they performed in Hampton. The couple was married 28 years and lived in Phoebus. They traveled together often, particularly to Europe.
Life on the Road
Peggy and her family moved often when she while she grew up.
“I didn’t really grow up anywhere. Every time my dad got a promotion, we moved,” she says. “I went to three high schools. I finished college in the long-term plan with a degree in social work from Virginia Wesleyan.”
She graduated from Kempsville High School in Virginia Beach, where she says she’s lived off and on a lot. She started going to coffee houses where her friends were playing and started singing with them.
“I just kind of kept falling into bands when they needed a singer,” she says.
She’s been friendly with lots of people in the music industry, including local musicians with national acclaim. Peggy did jingles with a friend in Richmond at Alpha Audio. She was a model. She and the bands she played with took her all over the country, including upstate New York and Connecticut. And she attended a lot of concerts, especially at The Dome in Virginia Beach and The Scope in Norfolk.
“My life has kind of just been one move after another, ever since I was a little kid,” she says. “I just kind of bounced around a lot. It was fun. My poor parents, they were a little tired of me bouncing around. Can’t say I blame them, looking back.”
She says band life requires moving around a bit to find enough work to sustain you. And sometimes, you have to very resourceful. Including renting your parents station wagon to get to gigs.
She doesn’t sing much now — her voice has gotten a little gravelly. But she stays in touch with her musician friends.
“It’s just been kind of a wild ride. I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” she says. “Though there are a few places I would have liked to get through more gracefully than I did.”
Choose to call a VHS community home
Virginia Health Services offers independent and assisted living options. Both allow residents to live a maintenance-free lifestyle, with on-site amenities including dining, activities and events, 24/7 on-site staff and transportation.
The Arbors Independent Living is located in the Port Warwick area of Newport News. The apartment-style building has a restaurant-like dining room, concierge service, weekly housekeeping and more. Learn more and schedule a tour at vahs.com/thearbors.
The Hamilton Assisted Living, located in York County, and The Huntington Assisted Living, located in Newport News, have spacious private apartments with daily dining, a nursing team 24/7, transportation and more. Visit vahs.com/thehamilton or vahs.com/thehuntington to learn more about our assisted living communities and schedule a tour.
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (August 13, 2024) – The Virginia Health Care Association-Virginia Center for Assisted Living (VHCA-VCAL) is proud to announce that Virginia Health Services President and CEO Mark Klyczek has been selected by the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) as a future leader in long-term and post-acute care. Klyczek will participate in AHCA/NCAL’s Future Leaders program, which provides year-long training and mentorship for professionals in long-term and post-acute care. He is one of 39 participants selected nationwide.
“We are thrilled to welcome Mark Klyczek to this year’s Future Leaders program,” said Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of AHCA/NCAL. “His dedication and vision for the future of long-term care are what set them apart as a true leader in the making.”
“Mark has already distinguished himself as an exceptional long-term care leader in the Commonwealth. He is a strong advocate for innovative approaches to ensure providers have the resources they need to care for their residents and patients. He is also a champion of apprenticeship and career development programs to grow the workforce needed to care for Virginia’s seniors. His appointment to the Future Leaders program will give him the opportunity to share these strategies more broadly,” said Keith Hare, VHCA-VCAL President and CEO.
About Mark Klyczek
Klyczek has more than 25 years of healthcare experience. He started with VHS in January 2020. Under his leadership, VHS has established a registered apprenticeship program, opened a Dialysis Den in partnership with DaVita at Coliseum Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, and improved quality care scores. This includes having five communities — The Newport, Northampton and Walter Reed Nursing and Rehabilitation Centers and The Hamilton and The Huntington Assisted Living — receive AHCA/NCAL Bronze Quality Award recognition.
The company is positioned for growth and business development, including with the expansion of services offered by its in-house pharmacy and home and community-based services of skilled home health care, rehab, hospice and palliative care.
Prior to joining VHS, the Buffalo, New York-area native worked in several healthcare systems, including almost 10 years with Rochester Regional Health in leadership roles. He is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, and has served in various community and volunteer organizations. Klyczek has published several op-ed pieces locally and presented at national conferences.
“It’s an honor to be selected to this program,” Klyczek said. “I look forward to learning throughout the year-long program and collaborating with my colleagues.”
AHCA/NCAL developed the Future Leaders program in 2004. Selected participants demonstrate both leadership potential and represent the interests of state and national long-term care providers. The program covers the latest theories and practical applications in quality management, customer satisfaction, and leadership. The year-long program kicks off with the “Future Leaders of Long-Term Care in America” Symposium held each year in Washington, D.C.
About VHS
Locally owned and headquartered in Newport News, Virginia since 1963, Virginia Health Services offers exceptional senior living and health care services. We specialize in the continuum of care from active lifestyle independent and assisted senior living communities, to skilled nursing and rehabilitation services. Our 1,000+ Team Members are passionate and committed to the well-being and quality care of our residents. Beyond our thoughtfully maintained communities located throughout the Virginia Peninsula, we offer a full range of personalized skilled health care, outpatient therapy, home care and hospice services by specially trained staff in the comfort and privacy of your home. To learn more, please visit our website at www.vahs.com.
About AHCA/NCAL
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) represents more than 14,500 non-profit and proprietary skilled nursing centers, assisted living communities, sub-acute centers and homes for individuals with intellectual and development disabilities. By delivering solutions for quality care, AHCA/NCAL aims to improve the lives of the millions of frail, elderly and individuals with disabilities who receive long term or post-acute care in our member facilities each day. For more information, please visit www.ahcancal.org.
Virginia Health Services celebrated the graduation of eight apprenticeship program students on Friday, Aug. 2, 2024, at the Employment, Enrichment and Education (EEE) Center in Newport News.
The earn-as-you-learn apprenticeship program graduates Care Assistants to Nurse Aides and covers the cost of the certification exam to be a CNA. The Peninsula program is instructed by Nora Gillespie, RN, and Director of Education Princess Henderson, BSN, RN. The six-week course includes classroom instruction, clinical skills labs and on-the-floor experience.
Princess and Nora led the ceremony and described the class as caring, compassionate, dedicated, intelligent, driven, hard-working and knowledgeable. The students approached resident care with their heart in it. They were joined by friends and family to celebrate during a reception following the ceremony.
The graduates
For the first time, there were co-valedictorians in a graduating class — Naudia Jenkins and Charisse Stinnie. They both had the highest GPAs and perfect attendance.
Naudia also is enrolled in nursing school full time in the evenings, with an expected graduation date of June 2025. Charisse transferred to the apprenticeship program from a role at Coliseum.
Co-valedictorians Naudia Jenkins and Charisse Stinnie with Director of Education Princess Henderson.Salutatorian Karlethia Watkins with Princess.Champion Award recipient Shakayla Johnson-Wright with Princess.
Salutatorian Karlethia Watkins is a recent high school graduate. She will attend Old Dominion University in the fall on a full scholarship, and says she would like to do research for neurological degenerative disease and develop medications to assist or potentially cure these diseases. Karlethia enrolled in the program to better understand the population she intends to help.
Graduates also included internal transfer Veronica McCray, who worked in the laundry department at James River Nursing and Rehabilitation Center; Champion Award recipient Shakayla Johnson-Wright; Georgianna Perkins; Kanasia Robinson; and Sari Santella, who is a military spouse in pursuit of a career with transferable skills.
VHS apprenticeship program
The next Peninsula apprenticeship class is slated for Aug. 19-Sept. 26 (applications are closed) and the next Gloucester apprenticeship class is Aug. 5-Sept. 12. Applications will open about 30 days ahead of the final class dates of the year — Peninsula Oct. 14-Nov. 21 and Gloucester Oct. 21-Dec. 2 — at vahs.com/apprenticeship.
July is Culinary Month, and the Virginia Health Services Director of Dining and Nutrition Christina Lewis shared a recipe to encourage you to take advantage of the abundant summer harvest during grilling season.
This salad is easy to make and combines two of the best summertime activities — grilling and taking advantage of the abundance of fresh, ripe peaches! Any of the stone fruits that are ripe in summer — peaches, apricots, plums and nectarines — are great on the grill.
Grilling helps to bring out the natural sweetness of the fruits, and the warmth of the grilled fruits is a great contrast to the cool crispness of the lettuce.
We hope you indulge in this summer’s offerings with this salad!
Grilled Peach and Goat Cheese Salad with Honey Lemon Vinaigrette
For the vinaigrette
Ingredients
Zest of one Lemon
1/4 cup Lemon Juice
1 teaspoon Honey Mustard
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
1/4 cup Honey
3/4 cup Olive Oil
Combine lemon zest, lemon juice, honey mustard, black pepper and honey in a blender. With blender running on slow speed, slowly pour in olive oil until emulsified. Store in refrigerator until ready to use. Makes about 1 cup.
For the salad
Ingredients
4 Ripe Peaches
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1/4 cup Red Onion
6 ounces Mixed Salad Greens
1/2 cup Goat Cheese
1/2 cup Toasted Pecans
Heat grill to 450 degrees or medium-high heat. Slice peaches in half and remove pit. Brush peach halves with olive oil and place on prepared grill until desired grill marks appear and peaches have softened. Remove peaches from grill and let cool.
Once peaches have cooled, slice each half into four to six slices and set aside. While peaches are cooling, finely slice red onion and combine with mixed salad greens. Crumble goat cheese over salad greens. Add chopped pecans and sliced peaches, add prepared dressing and toss lightly to combine.
Dining and Nutrition at VHS
The Virginia Health Services Dietary and Nutrition Department serves residents at our senior living communities and nursing and rehabilitation centers. It also offers nutritional services to individuals in our care with VHS Home Health and VHS Hospice.
The department is overseen by the Director of Dining and Nutrition.
Our team provides culinary oversight and fresh meals for our senior living residents. The lunch and dinner menu are refreshed monthly and feature dishes with seasonal ingredients at The Arbors Independent Living. Our team relies on residents’ input in developing a dining experience that caters to them. The dining director often hosts cooking demonstrations to help our residents stay healthy when they utilize their apartment kitchens.
Dietary managers at each of the assisted living communities and nursing centers meet with new admissions to determine nutritional and dietary needs, and resident preferences. They are responsible for daily meals, snacks and beverage service.
VHS Senior Vice President David Crosson celebrates his 25th anniversary with the company in July 2024.
David joined the team in 1999 to bring VHS Rehabilitation to life as Executive Director. At that time, he was its only team member.
“I was doing treatments, evals, and recruiting therapists,” he said.
VHS Rehabilitation launches
His connections from previous stops with national rehabilitation contract companies helped VHS Rehabilitation (then Virginia Health Rehab) staff up quickly. At the time, the reimbursement model for nursing homes changed and it became more business savvy to provide an in-house therapy team in nursing homes for skilled care.
“Because of how the industry was changing, those therapists at contract companies and recent grads were looking for work. I was able to provide job opportunities. With me being the only person, I needed the staff, too. We were able to bring staff on pretty quickly,” David says.
About a year later, VHS Rehabilitation opened its outpatient site. Over the course of its 25 years, VHS Rehabilitation has grown to include physical, speech and occupational therapy in outpatient, skilled care and contract settings that have included assisted living centers, jails and schools.
Today, the VHS Rehabilitation team has about 70 regular team members and 250 PRNs to staff its skilled care therapy rooms, outpatient center and contract clients. The team includes physical, speech and occupational therapists, techs, assistants and administrative assistants.
David hugs IT Network Manager Kathy Wickline at her retirement party.David and others celebrate the opening of the Dialysis Den at Coliseum.VHS President and CEO Mark Klyczek with Senior VP David Crosson.
While he has a background in physical therapy — he earned bachelor’s degree in exercise science and master’s degree in physical therapy from Old Dominion University — David says he prefers the operational side of the business, including staffing and dealing with regulatory issues.
During his time with VHS, David has had a hand in the acquisition of Coliseum in 2013 — “that was a big pickup for us,” he says — and spearheaded establishing VHS Home Health Care in 2015 and VHS Hospice in 2017.
“Once we got into skilled care, VHS grew a lot. We changed our operations. VHS grew along with me,” he says.
He was promoted to Senior Vice President in 2016.
Home and Community-Based Services grow
VHS bought a license from a company that was owned by the company former VHS Home Health Care Administrator Cheri Brnich was working for at the time.
“She was very aggressive in our buildings,” he recalls. “She and I clicked. She’s very enthusiastic. She was then the acting administrator at a different company and we had a good working relationship. We brought her on as administrator for Home Health.”
He says they expected a slower ramp up when VHS Home Health Care launched, but “it came out of the door fast and we had 30 residents in the first month, which set expectations really high, even though we were doing it with limited staff. … If we had known we were going to pop that fast, we would have had more staff.”
He says VHS Hospice took about a year to start from scratch and become licensed.
“My philosophy is I don’t have to be the smartest guy in the room, but I surround myself with the smartest people. If I have a good team, they make me look better,” he says. “I have the knack to help manage and have vision. That’s where growth during those periods occurred. …
“We have a great opportunity to collaborate with all of our business units. We should be the provider of choice for our residents when they need rehab, home care, hospice. There’s so much value to that.”
Reflection
The Philadelphia native met his wife while attending ODU.
“She had just started her PhD program at ODU,” he says. “Her family was here, father worked for Old Dominion. This just became the place we landed.”
He says he is proud of everything he is involved in developing.
“The Rehab piece is a big piece of VHS. Home Health and Hospice were big additions to VHS and the success of VHS. It wouldn’t be something I would want to do and walk away from,” he says. “It’s nice to see those businesses develop and evolve. And then, it’s also the people. … A lot of what I do is more for the people who work for me, and keep them employed in environments they’re thriving in.”
In a year’s time, the Den has completed 1,485 treatment sessions, said June Barbrey, Vice President of Admissions and Front-End Revenue Integrity. Based on census, DaVita has added team members to cover more shifts over more days.
The Coliseum team is responsible for getting residents ready and taking them to and from the treatment center. The DaVita team manages the treatment process in the Den. There are six chairs for residents to receive treatments in three days a week over three shifts. It can accommodate 18 to 24 residents a week.
Den opens
The Den treated its first patient June 28, 2023. Three residents received treatment in the first two weeks.
“You see the outcomes and how much better it is for the residents,” says Coliseum Administrator Dudley Haas. “We have had to think outside of the box in operations flow, but everyone works as a team.”
Having an on-site Dialysis Den is beneficial to residents who no longer have to worry about transportation off-site in addition to receiving hours-long treatments. Residents receiving rehabilitation are able to participate in their sessions and Coliseum’s activities without having to leave the facility for dialysis treatment, giving them a fuller experience. The shortened transportation time also allows team members time to prepare residents for treatment in a more efficient time frame.
“We’re serving a population, too, that might have transportation issues — a family member who might not be available to take them, or they might not have any family in the area,” June said.
The Den opened with a ribbon cutting ceremony and open house following a soft launch the end of June 2023. Its opening was covered by the Daily Press and Virginian-Pilot in October 2023.
Coliseum offers its residents an array of activities and services. Visit the community’s Facebook page for the latest updates and news.
In June, Virginia Health Services released news that five of its communities received the Bronze – Commitment to Quality Award by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) for their commitment to improving the lives of residents through quality care.
Virginia Health Services celebrated its most recent class of apprentice graduates from the Gloucester program during a ceremony Tuesday, July 9, 2024, at Walter Reed Nursing and Rehabilitation Center.
Three students graduated from Care Assistants to Nurse Aides and will continue to serve on the team at Walter Reed. The earn-as-you-learn apprenticeship program provides about six weeks of classroom and clinical skills training, in addition to on-the-floor experience, and covers the cost of the certification exam to be a CNA.
Walter Reed Administrator Bryant Hudgins welcomed friends and family to the ceremony.
“I started in the CNA class back in the stone age,” Bryant joked, “and it catapulted my career.”
Walter Reed Administrator Bryant Hudgins welcomes the graduates and their friends and family during Tuesday’s ceremony.
Bryant worked his way from CNA to LPN and then served in various roles including MDS before becoming the licensed administrator for Walter Reed.
“These ladies have bright futures ahead in healthcare. Thank you all for supporting them,” he said. “This is just the beginning. We take great pride in providing a clinical site, and welcome them to the team.”
Gloucester graduates
The graduates — Jordan Hudnall, Kaeli Key and Candi Lewis — brought a sense of humor to the class, said Training and Education Coordinator Tracy Williams, MSN, BSN, RN.
They all wound up having personal connections to Tracy. She went to school with Kaeli’s father, lives down the street from Candi and worked with Jordan while she was a Care Assistant before the course started at Walter Reed.
“This was a very special class for me. They all learned quickly and excelled in clinicals and the classroom portion of the class,” Tracy said.
Jordan earned the Champion Award for excelling in class and connecting with the residents.
Candi was salutatorian and Kaeli was awarded valedictorian for top marks.
“I was extremely nervous — kind of like I am right now — and worried I would fail, but I was wrong. With the help of amazing teacher and two equally amazing classmates, I watched my confidence increase week after week,” Kaeli said in her valedictorian speech. “… Thank you, VHS, for offering this program, Tracy for being the best teacher we could have, and Candi and Jordan for being so supportive and all the laughs. We did it.”
Kaeli Key delivers valedictorian remarks and thanks her fellow graduates.
Vice President of Nursing Rebecca Boyd closed the ceremony, thanking the graduates for choosing Virginia Health Services.
“You have a bright future, and exhibited a desire to serve and be there for residents,” Rebecca said. “Long-term care is hard, but very rewarding. You develop relationships and really care for people.”
Apprenticeship program
The next Gloucester-based apprenticeship course is slated for Aug. 5-Sept. 12. Applications are open and available at vahs.com/apprenticeship.
The Peninsula-based program is underway, with graduation scheduled for Aug. 1. The next class is slated for Aug. 19-Sept. 26, and applications should open soon at vahs.com/apprenticeship.
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