It is the second straight year Walter Reed has received the honor
GLOUCESTER, Va. (Nov. 13, 2023) – Walter Reed Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Gloucester, a Virginia Health Services (VHS) entity, has been recognized on Newsweek’s America’s Best Nursing Homes 2024 list. This prestigious award is presented by Newsweek and Statista Inc., the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider. The awards list was announced on September 27, 2023, and can currently be viewed on the Newsweek’s website.
This is the second straight year Walter Reed has earned the Newsweek honor. Walter Reed opened in 1981 in its current location and is one of seven nursing and rehabilitation centers under the VHS umbrella, which also includes home care, hospice, assisted and independent living, along with rehabilitation and pharmacy services. Walter Reed offers skilled and long-term nursing care in addition to Memory Care units for individuals with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
The America’s Best Nursing Homes 2024 ranking lists the nation’s leading nursing homes in the 25 states with the highest number of facilities according to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The evaluation is based on five data sources:
CMS Data used to determine the performance of nursing homes.
National Online Survey of thousands of medical professionals.
Management of the Covid-19 situation.
Resident Satisfaction Data.
Accreditation by The Joint Commission (TJC) and Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).
Based on the results of the study, Virginia Health Services is ecstatic Walter Reed again is being recognized as one of Newsweek’s America’s Best Nursing Homes 2024.
“This repeat honor is a testament to the dedication of the Walter Reed team to resident care,” said Virginia Health Services President & CEO Mark Klyczek. “They are being nationally recognized once again for their hard work and we couldn’t be prouder of their accomplishments.”
Learn more about what the Walter Reed community is like on its Facebook page.
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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 Statista:
Statista publishes hundreds of worldwide industry rankings and company listings with high profile media partners. This research and analysis service is based on the success of statista.com, the leading data and business intelligence portal that provides statistics, business relevant data, and various market and consumer studies and surveys.
Creating home-like environments for residents takes a team. The upkeep of each facility requires a team dedicated to working behind the scenes, changing light bulbs, checking the plumbing, and so much more.
It’s National Health Care Facilities and Engineering Week (Oct. 22-28), and Virginia Health Services is celebrating its maintenance and facilities staff. VHS operates three senior living communities, seven nursing and rehabilitation centers, and maintains offices for corporate support services, VHS Rehabilitation, VHS Home Health Care and VHS Home Hospice.
Jesse Young, VHS Vice President of Facilities and Development, oversees facility maintenance. He says each building (depending on size) has a dedicated maintenance person or an Environmental Services team member responsible for maintenance tasks. There also is a traveling corporate team that handles major projects and serves as a stopgap for vacations or turnover.
There are two team members who have been with VHS for about 20 years, and several others with the team for five years or less.
“We are so dependent on what they do every day, and yet it’s very behind the scenes. A week like this is valuable recognition of the team,” Jesse says.
Maintaining VHS
Jess says skill sets can vary person to person. Someone in each building takes care of routine tasks.
“It’s a lot of light bulbs, toilet repairs, door adjustments – because of our traffic, doors take a beating,” he says.
Some of the tasks are major, and the corporate team helps handle larger-scale tasks, such as AC/heating unit replacements and boilers. The team handles a lot of plumbing repairs.
“It saves us from having to contract out all of the major items,” Jesse says.
Team members are jacks of all trades.
“For the most part, until you get to the major electrical things, it’s more being able to track an issue and think with an analytical mind. The key is someone who can do a little bit of detective work and get to the bottom of whatever it might be,” Jesse says of maintenance team members.
Some of the aesthetic work, such as painting, and some repairs also fall to EVS to balance the work of all teams.
“It works really well that way,” Jesse says.
Facility updates
The team also manages facility upgrades, including some at The Arbors Independent Living, which opened in Port Warwick in 2003.
The flooring is being replaced in several community spaces and some of the furnishings have been replaced. Apartment upgrades also have been made.
The Den, which opened in partnership with DaVita Kidney Care, provides on-site dialysis hemodialysis to Coliseum residents, reducing the discomfort, inconvenience and cost of frequent transportation for treatment.
The Dialysis Den at Coliseum opened in June. It is operated in partnership with DaVita.
The VHS facilities team also is working on upgrades to the lobbies of the seven nursing and rehabilitation centers. The first to be completed was at Coliseum to coincide with the opening of the Den. Fresh paint, flooring, graphics and furniture spruced up the entryway. Other improvements include in public restrooms and other shared spaces.
Coliseum’s lobby upgrades including fixing the skylights, and updating the furniture and other fixtures.
Join our team!
We are always on the search for talented jacks of all trades! Visit vahs.com/careers to explore our opportunities and apply.
Virginia Health Services welcomes its latest graduates from the apprentice program to its workforce. Eight care assistants graduated to nurse aides from the earn-as-you-learn apprenticeship program during a ceremony Oct. 13 at the VHS Education Center.
The graduates are Alysse Eagan, Aniyah Fitzgerald, Eureka Johnson, Keyena Oliver, Isabel Perez-Garcia, Darrell Pink, Jazmine Russell and Charise Samuels.
They are employees with VHS, with five going to work at James River Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, and the rest dispersing to The Newport, Northampton and Walter Reed nursing and rehabilitation centers.
Class of October 2023 apprenticeship graduates during a ceremony Oct. 13 at the VHS education center.
“This class raised the bar. This was an exceptional class,” said instructor Nora Gillespie, RN. “You were together in spirit. You were focused. It was a pleasure to teach you all. I know you’re ready to fly from the nest and start your career.”
The apprenticeship continues over the course of a year, with a review before the state exam (the cost is covered by the program). By passing the state test, the apprentices will be Certified Nurse Assistants (CNAs).
“This is the foundation of nursing. Don’t let anyone diminish what you do. You’ll use this going forward,” said Direction of Education Princess Henderson, RN, BSN.
Two graduates are enrolled in RN programs beginning in January. Another is planning to pursue nursing with a concentration in mental health.
By the time the graduation ceremony was over, each graduation walked off with superlative certificates from Nora and Princess for their excellent work over the course of the six-week program. They had to learn 22 skills, pass 24 tests, do six days of clinical skills – all while working weekend shifts as care assistants.
“Nothing is easy about this class,” Nora said. “They have to learn so much.”
The students
Valedictorian Alysse Eagan came into the class with a background in web design.
“I’m proud of all of us for getting to this point. I’m also very thankful. I’ve been bouncing from career to career trying to find something that fit. When I found this, I felt like I found my calling. I’m thankful for all of you and the support you gave me,” she said to her classmates in her valedictorian remarks.
She is enrolled to begin a RN program in January.
Alysse Eagan delivers her valedictorian remarks.
Salutatorian Jazmine Russell drove to Newport News every day from the Middle Peninsula to attend class. She returned to the class after working in dietary at Lancashire, taking a break after the COVID pandemic put a halt to state testing.
Aniyah Fitzgerald’s mother also works at James River. Aniyah earned a superlative award for clinicals.
“She loves patient care,” Princess said. “She lives for it.”
Eureka Johnson also was a repeat student, earning the Perseverance Award from Princess.
“She can occupy a room and has a heart of gold,” Nora said.
Keyena Oliver, Isabel Perez-Garcia, Darrell Pink and Charise Samuels earned Spirit of Excellence Awards from their instructors for giving 100% to the class.
Keyena “did an amazing job,” Nora said.
Princess said she loved the energy Isabel brought to patient care.
Darrell joined the class with a medical background and served in the Navy. He is enrolled to start in a RN program in January.
“I knew from Day 1 she had it,” Nora said of Charise. “This class really emphasized where you want to be in your career.”
Princess said Charise has a background in mental health and wants to pursue that niche of nursing.
“We care about our students. This class is meant to be here,” Nora said.
Upcoming classes
The next class of apprentices – the last of the year – is slated to begin Oct. 30. The earn-as-you-learn apprenticeship program graduates Care Assistants to Nurse Aides and covers the cost of the state exam to be a CNA.
The 2024 class dates for Newport News have been announced and are available at vahs.com/apprenticeship.
Applications will open for the January class later this year. A class also is slated to be offered at Walter Reed Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Gloucester in January.
Virginia Health Services and the Dialysis Den at Coliseum Nursing and Rehabilitation Center was featured Monday, Oct. 2, 2023, in an article in the Daily Press newspaper (based in Newport News, Virginia).
The article outlines the benefits of having an on-site dialysis center for residents in partnership with DaVita and features a resident interview.
Virginia Health Services President & CEO Mark Klyczek published a guest editorial in online versions of the Daily Press and The Virginian-Pilot the evening of Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023. The op-ed shared the ways in which the new federal staffing guidelines for nursing homes conflicts with providing quality care.
Excerpt:
“As a nursing home operator in the local community for more than 60 years, Virginia Health Services is proud of the care we have delivered to thousands of individuals. While we fully support the staffing requirements adopted by the Virginia legislature, a federal staffing mandate would significantly reduce the quality of care in nursing homes. The Virginia model sets a consistent staffing standard and funds the staff needed to achieve the goal we all have, which is to provide improved staffing and quality care. The federal mandate is expected to be unachievable, and funding has not been discussed.
“… Should a more stringent mandate without funding be implemented by the federal government, nursing homes will be forced to accept fewer patients, and some may be forced to close.”
In honor of National Assisted Living Week (Sept. 10-16), we are spotlighting residents at our Huntington and Hamilton Assisted Living communities. 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.
“Our children got together and chose places for us to look at, and this one of them,” Marshall said. “This had the advantage of no entrance fee. We liked what we saw and this apartment was available. We liked everything about it.”
Marshall and Porter Booker started calling The Arbors home in March. They celebrated their 60th anniversary in June.
Marshall is a social person, Porter said, and had given up driving, so moving into a community like The Arbors was the right fit for their lifestyle.
“And I was looking for someone to cook some of my food,” she said. “I was tired of fixing all the meals. … This has worked out fine.”
These three have known one another since youth. Now they are neighbors.
Marshall attended school with two other residents.
“I’m sure our yearbook has been around,” he said with a grin.
The Bookers have been married for 60 years. They met one summer while working at the Commissioner of Revenue’s office in Newport News.
“We worked together one summer and it all worked out,” Marshall said.
“It really led to something,” Porter said with a laugh.
They lived in Poquoson for a long while after moving back to the Peninsula. Marshall taught economics – and briefly was a dean of academics – at Christopher Newport University. He previously taught at Salem College and Old Dominion.
They have four children, nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Their daughters live nearby and their son is in the Baltimore area.
The Arbors life
“We made a point to try to know everyone’s first name,” Porter said. “We find most people outgoing …”
“And willing to help,” Marshall added. “I like sitting outside; chatting with people as they come and go.”
He utilizes VHS Rehabilitation outpatient services, which is just downstairs from their home.
“It’s great. He can just walk down to it,” Porter said.
“I like the people,” Marshall said of the rehab team. “They worked with me so I could get up the stairs to my grandson’s rehearsal dinner.”
The Bookers enjoy Sweet Frog outdoors.Marshall wrote a children’s book his grandkids illustrated and they published in-house.
The Bookers enjoy the dining room choices – “there’s always something to chose from,” Marshall said. “And the desserts are tasty too.”
They also enjoy the activities, like happy hour, bingo, exercise classes, Saturday game nights and “we go down to most of the functions that the (Life Enrichment Director) does,” Porter said.
“It’s just a lot of fun,” Marshall said.
Porter added, “We enjoy the laughter.”
Friends here
Sally moved into The Arbors over the spring. She is recently widowed and said she knew she couldn’t keep up her “big home on the river.”
She wanted to stay close to where she lived.
“I’m still grieving, but I like The Arbors,” she said. “And I have some friends here.”
Sally also has family members who live nearby. One son lives in York County, another in Virginia Beach, and her daughter is 2 miles away in Newport News. Several of her nine grandchildren also live in Newport News.
One of her sons stops by for lunch on Wednesdays. He continues to work at the environmental testing lab his parents launched in Newport News.
Sally’s husband was a chemist. They met in college – she at Longwood, he at Hampden-Sydney. He originally was from Newport News, and once they were married, they moved back, opening the lab in the 1980s on then-Middle Ground Boulevard (now City Center). Sally was the accountant and bookkeeper for the lab.
They would have celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary Sept. 1. Her grandson brought her a dozen red roses on the day because “that’s what Papaw would have given you if he was here.”
Life at The Arbors
Sally says she enjoys activities, such as happy hour and musical entertainers, and Chef Akira’s menu at The Arbors. She likes enjoying her big meal of the day in the dining room, citing a recent special of fried chicken with white gravy as a highlight.
Gallery wall in Sally’s apartmentPaintings done by Sally, including one of the family’s former Nags Head cottage.Birthday card hand-stamped by Sally
She loves to paint. She also uses rubber stamps to create greeting cards. A room in her apartment is dedicated to her art. She has a gallery wall of previous and recent paintings.
Friends at The Arbors include two childhood classmates. She graduated high school with fellow resident Joyce, and her grandson is married to Joyce’s granddaughter.
“She’s been very helpful to me since I’ve been here,” Sally said of Joyce.
She also likes to read and watch TV. She is a fan of “Virgin River” on Netflix.
Lassie Crawford is an early resident of The Hamilton.
“It was a brand-new apartment, clean. I wanted a window with a nice view,” she says. “This suited me just fine.”
She put down her deposit after first seeing it.
Lassie says she was familiar with the location – her husband was at York Nursing and Rehabilitation Center for about two years until he passed.
“I was happy with how they took care of him,” she says. “So when it came time for me to find a place, I checked this out.”
It’s also near her son and his family in Gloucester. She had lived on her own for about nine years before moving into the assisted living community.
“They take good care of us,” she says. “I miss my home. That’s something you never get completely away from. They do make you feel very much at home, that this is your home now. I’ve liked it from the beginning.”
Her son retired from working at the Yorktown Naval Weapons Station. Lassie has three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren who all live relatively close by, save for a granddaughter in Tampa, Florida.
She says she wanted a place that would be convenient for her family to visit. She says they’re very attentive.
Lassie originally is from North Carolina. Her husband was in the Army. They lived together in Panama on assignment before selecting to come to Fort Eustis in Newport News.
“We lived in Newport News for a number of years,” she says. “He was on a lot of assignments I couldn’t join him on.”
They were married 63 years before he passed.
“We had a good marriage. We were happy,” she says. “A lot of times, I would have liked to have him home more. You manage to do what you have to do. It taught me a lot – there were a lot of things I had to do on my own. … After he passed, I stayed in my home along for about 9 years by myself. I did OK.”
Her husband retired after 33 years in the service, then did volunteer work at Fort Eustis. The Crawfords volunteered for Meals on Wheels.
“He enjoyed people. I drove. I could depend on him to be a few minutes – he’d help with other chores they needed help with,” she says.
She enjoyed needlework and sewing, which she translates to quilting classes each month at The Hamilton with Gala.
“She’s good, she’s really good,” Lassie says. “One thing with the activities we have here – some I really enjoy, but we can pick and choose. They keep us pretty busy.”
She enjoys going to the teas.
“Those can be so much fun. Kirstie has a real knack for decorating things and it’s fun just to go see what the theme is.”
Lassie also enjoys the therapy dog visits, Mr. Hamilton (the resident rabbit), art with Emily, musical entertainment and the library drop-off and pick-up in the lobby.
“I feel fortunate I’ve had pretty good health overall,” she says.
The team at The Hamilton made sure she was using her walker to avoid falls.
“They’re really good about helping us take care of ourselves. They want us to do what’s safe. When you need to change, you don’t always take it seriously. I know I didn’t … didn’t take much for me to lose my balance and fall. I needed more help with things.
“I’ve been happy here.”
York County is home
Patricia Foretich has called The Hamilton home for about two years.
She was receiving rehabilitation at York Nursing and Rehabilitation Center for a fractured tailbone before transitioning to assisted living.
Pat started at the York and now calls The Hamilton home.
“You just have to wait it out,” she said of waiting out the fracture. “My back has been bothering me for years. I have osteoporosis. But you know, I’m kicking. Not very high. That’s what my mom says.”
She moved to York County when she was 18. She turned 85 this year and has two children who graduated Tabb High School. Her son recently retired from NASA.
Her pride and joy are her five grandsons – she can’t keep the smile off her face when sharing their accomplishments.
“I’m proud of them,” she said. “They worked hard to get where they are.”
She says her family is happy they don’t have to worry about her anymore. Her sister is also a resident, living in an apartment upstairs.
“The Hamilton is great,” she said. “We all look forward to the food. The nursing is wonderful.”
A family friend helps her once a week to run errands, get her nails done and they go out to lunch.
“The activities are great. You can choose. It’s always something,” she said. “The therapy dogs are wonderful, everyone looks forward to them when they come.”
She’s also an avid reader and appreciates the library drop-off and pickup.
“If you want help, all you have to do is ask, and they will gladly help you,” she says.
She spent her career, mostly as a secretary, she said, and tried to stay home as often as possible as her children were growing up. It took slight prying to learn she worked through the Aerospace Education Project for NASA, working at the NASA Langley Visitors Center in Hampton.
“That was great … it was a great place to work,” she said.
She riffled through a box of old photos, pulling out a signed picture from Sally Ride. She traveled to several NASA campuses, including Houston; Cape Canaveral, Florida; and Oklahoma.
“I flew quite a bit,” she said. “I have some good memories … years go by fast.”
She’s a Detroit, Michigan, native and has lived in states coast to coast. Her granddaughter and her family live on the Peninsula, which is how she found herself at The Huntington. Her grandson lives with his family internationally; they teach in American schools overseas. She has four great-grandchildren.
Muriel was a nurse, doctors’ offices, hospitals and in public health. “Once a nurse, always a nurse,” she says. Her mother wanted to be a nurse, but there were fewer training opportunities at that time.
“I enjoyed it all,” she says. “You meet all kinds of people; have to deal with all kinds of people. … I learned to deal with the public.”
Her life has spanned memorable events, including the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. Her husband was a pastor, who she met at her family’s church in Michigan. When they were married, he was called to California, where they did Skywatch, reporting on the directions of airplanes coming and going. It was a civilian group, Ground Observer Corps, that was created in WWII and re-established during the Cold War. They also moved Florida. “He was an older man; he was a great man,” she says. “It’s been an interesting life.”
Muriel turned 100 this year. She was surrounded by her friends at The Huntington.
“The people at The Huntington are nice. The food is good. They take good care of us here,” she says. “They keep us busy here; they try to keep us out of mischief.”
She likes Bingo, games like UNO, crafts and, “everybody likes Hoppy (the rabbit).”
“At my age, I’m supposed to be wise. They say wisdom comes with age, but I’m not sure about that,” she says with a smile.
“It’s been an interesting life.”
Find your community
Learn more about our senior living options with Virginia Health Services at vahs.com/seniorliving. We offer independent and assisted living communities to help meet your needs. Schedule a tour today!
Virginia Health Services celebrated the graduation of eight apprentices during a ceremony held on Styron Square at Port Warwick in Newport News on Friday, Sept. 1, 2023.
The students graduated from Care Assistants to Nurse Aides. The earn-as-you-learn apprenticeship program, a six-week course that includes classwork and hands-on clinical skills, also covers the cost of the state certification exam to be a CNA.
The class is led by instructor Nora Gillespie, RN, and Director of Education Princess Henderson, RN, BSN.
The graduates will be employed within VHS. There were ties for valedictorian and salutatorian.
The class: Kenneth Akes, Jr. (co-salutatorian), Alaina Bottcher, Caryn Drake, Shanice Fleming, Tara Johnson (co-valedictorian), Amanda Lawson (co-salutatorian), Tyron Paul and Logan Scott (co-valedictorian).
Co-valedictorians Tara and Logan gave remarks during Friday’s ceremony. The graduates celebrated with family and friends during a reception at the education center.
Join the team
Applications will be accepted for our October earn-as-you-learn apprenticeship class on Sept. 11. Classes fill early, so be sure to submit your application once they open. Our students graduate with jobs within VHS and the program offers several benefits, including financial assistance. Visit vahs.com/apprenticeship for more information and to apply.
Life-sustaining kidney care available to Coliseum residents is first of its kind on the Peninsula
HAMPTON, Va. (August 23, 2023) – Peninsula-based Virginia Health Services (VHS) and DaVita Kidney Care celebrated their partnership with a ribbon-cutting at the DaVita Dialysis Den located in VHS’s Coliseum Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, 305 Marcella Drive in Hampton.
The DaVita Dialysis Den is an on-site dialysis center, exclusively available to Coliseum’s long-term care and rehabilitation residents. Coliseum provides 24-hour nursing services; occupational, physical and speech therapies; and on-site hemodialysis — reducing the discomfort, inconvenience and cost of frequent transportation for treatment.
DaVita’s highly trained and dedicated care team members deliver on-site dialysis care to residents of Coliseum, creating a more comfortable and convenient experience for many patients and their providers.
“Often, dialysis is a barrier for individuals who need short-term rehabilitation. This will eliminate that barrier, which is a big win for the individuals and the hospitals that have difficulty finding an appropriate bed,” said Virginia Health Services President and CEO Mark Klyczek. “It was important to find an experienced partner because dialysis is such a specialized service.”
The Dialysis Den at Coliseum allows residents to receive treatment on-site.
This program is projected to reduce the total cost of care to payors like Medicare, as well as reduce hospital readmission events. VHS patients who are part of the DaVita SNF Dialysis network will require minimized discharge planning, as hospitals will have the ability to send patients in need of dialysis directly to the Coliseum for care.
“We bring 20 years of experience as a leading kidney care provider,” said Dan Viaches, president of DaVita SNF Dialysis. “We appreciate that VHS trusts us to deliver high-quality care to the patients they serve.”
Locally owned and managed, Virginia Health Services has served residents’ needs since 1963. It owns and operates seven nursing and rehabilitation centers on the Peninsula, Gloucester and the Northern Neck. Their Walter Reed community offers Memory Care units for individuals with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The DaVita Dialysis Den is just one more reason to consider Virginia Health Services.
To find out more about Virginia Health Services (VHS) and DaVita Kidney Care Dialysis Den or VHS’s Coliseum Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, please visit VAHS.com, connect with us on Facebook or call (757) 596-6268.
The lobby at Coliseum Nursing and Rehabilitation Center recently underwent a facelift as well.
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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 DaVita Inc.
DaVita (NYSE: DVA) is a health care provider focused on transforming care delivery to improve quality of life for patients globally. The company is one of the largest providers of kidney care services in the U.S. and has been a leader in clinical quality and innovation for more than 20 years. DaVita cares for patients at every stage and setting along their kidney health journey—from slowing the progression of kidney disease to helping to support transplantation, from acute hospital care to dialysis at home. As of June 30, 2023, DaVita served approximately 201,000 patients at 2,703 outpatient dialysis centers in the United States. The company also operated 353 outpatient dialysis centers in 11 other countries worldwide. DaVita has reduced hospitalizations, improved mortality, and worked collaboratively to propel the kidney care industry to adopt an equitable and high-quality standard of care for all patients, everywhere. To learn more, visit DaVita.com/About.
VHS Home Health Care has rolled out use of mobile health units to its clients – under their doctors’ orders.
The mobile kit provides patients enrolled with VHS Home Health Care an automatic way to take readings and for nurses on the team to monitor patient progress in real time.
Tia Hunter, LPN, handles initial setup and monitoring for those using the unit.
“I set up the actual machines and show them how to use it. A nurse goes out first to start the care. Every patient has different orders from their doctor, depending on their diagnosis,” she says.
Tia Hunter has been a LPN with VHS Home Health Care for more than two years. She handles initial setup and monitoring of the mobile kits.
Equipment in the kit can record weight, blood sugar, oxygen level, blood pressure, temperature and heart rate. It includes a tablet to which each piece of equipment is Bluetooth-enabled and records and transmits the results. The home health team is alerted to the new updates to monitor the patient.
“If something is really off, I can go to their home. I can send text messages, video calls and reminders, all through the system. And they can do the same,” Tia says.
There also are educational videos available to the patients to help them better understand their care, like what are carbohydrates diabetics should or should not eat.
The VHS Home Health team began implementation of the kit in June. The monitored results also are sent to the doctor for assessment.
“The purpose is to try to keep them home and avoid hospitalizations,” Tia says.
It’s cost-saving and a game-changer for many of the team’s patients.
Learn more
VHS Home Health Care helps individuals get back to living their best life by providing skilled care in the safety and comfort of an individual’s home. The team coordinates care with a patient’s doctor.
The team of professionals include nurses, therapists and social workers who will train and educate and individual and their loved ones to help the individual gain independence.
Research shows receiving care at home with home health services can effectively prevent hospitalizations and costly stays. It is typically covered by Medicare and most commercial insurances.
They chose The Arbors for the location and transportation options, like valet.
“It’s close to things we enjoy,” Fae says. “The weekly housekeeping is great. I believe the food here is absolutely wonderful.”
She enjoys the events that include music and crafting. She says she appreciates the outings even if she doesn’t always attend them.
Arbors resident Fae shows off her patriotic nails
Family life
She and Jeff have been married for more than 60 years. She’s “Bull Isle born and bred.” The Poquoson native has lived on the Peninsula her entire life.
She and Jeff met at Buckroe at the then-drive-in. He served in the Air Force for 36 years and she worked for the Air Force as a civilian, starting part-time during summers.
Their oldest son is in Ecuador and the youngest son is in southwest Virginia. Jeff’s family is in North Carolina. They have a granddaughter and two great-granddaughters in Fayetteville, N.C., who come to visit.
“They come up here – the kids love to play in the park. We love to have them here,” she says.
One of their deciding factors to choose The Arbors was because their family is so spread out.
“We felt as though there wouldn’t be anyone here to help us,” she said. They gain that security at The Arbors.
Cinco de Mayo at The ArborsMardi Gras at The Arbors
Civilian career
While working for Langley Air Force Base, Fae said she was the first woman to do certain jobs.
She was a manager in the aircraft maintenance program and loves logistics.
“I was a resource adviser,” she says. “I handled the money for all the logistics. No other woman had done that.”
In logistics, her hands were in several areas like contracting, planning and budgeting for aircraft maintenance transportation.
“We were their support on the ground. It was very analytical work; I loved finding the solutions,” she says. “It was so much fun to watch them grow – I loved the rapport we built with the troops.”
She says it was rare at that time – in the 1970s – for women to do work outside of clerical or teaching.
“I pushed my way up,” she says.
She had encouraging bosses and the encouragement and support of her husband.
“I’ve had a lot of help along the way,” she says.
She visited nearly every state’s Air Force base, Panama, Europe and other countries while working. She made a lot of friends, who are scattered across the country.
“I’m very proud of my career,” she says. “It was a very good career for me. I was always happy to help women along the way and tried to be fair to everyone.”
She retired in 1996 – “I just felt like my time had come,” she says. She started to have some health issues. Jeff retired in 1995.
She loved doing aquatics and played golf. She and Jeff traveled in retirement.
Call The Arbors home
A move to The Arbors Independent Living might be what you need when the demands of home ownership become overwhelming. Visit vahs.com/thearbors to schedule a tour of our community and see for yourself why our residents love to call The Arbors home.
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