All Three Benchmark CCRCs Receive AHCA/NCAL 2018 Bronze National Quality Award for Skilled Nursing Care
Benchmark, a leading provider of senior living services in the Northeast, has received the 2018 Bronze – Commitment to Quality Award from the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) for the skilled nursing units at all three of its continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs). Skilled nursing care represents a single step in the full continuum of care, including independent living, assisted living and memory care, offered at CCRCs.
The communities are Wellington at Hershey’s Mill, West Chester, Pennsylvania; Edgehill, Stamford, Connecticut; and The Commons in Lincoln, Lincoln, Massachusetts. The award is the first of three distinctions possible through the AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program honoring long-term and post-acute care providers demonstrating their commitment to improving the quality of care for seniors and persons with disabilities.
“We take pride in the quality of care we deliver through our skilled nursing units,” says Sandra Bardsley, Benchmark’s regional director of skilled care operations. “This award demonstrates Benchmark’s dedication to those in our care, to our staff and to the communities we serve.”
“Having all three of our CCRCs, which offer skilled nursing, earn this distinction is a great honor,” says Allison Melahouris, senior vice president, quality resident services at Benchmark. “This award recognizes that Benchmark exemplifies high quality standards even during this time of exceptional growth for our company.”
The award program has three levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold. Providers begin the quality improvement process at the Bronze level, where they develop an organizational profile with fundamental performance elements, such as vision and mission statements and key strengths and challenges. Recipients may now move forward in developing approaches and achieving performance levels meeting the criteria required for the Silver – Achievement in Quality Award.
All three Benchmark communities will be honored alongside fellow recipient organizations during AHCA/NCAL’s 69th Annual Convention and Expositions, Oct. 7-10, 2018, in San Diego.
About Benchmark
Benchmark is a leading provider of senior living services in the Northeast with assets under management valued at nearly $2.5 billion. Founded in 1997 by Tom Grape, a charter member of the Governor’s Council to Address Aging in Massachusetts, Benchmark employs 6,200 associates and operates 56 senior living communities in seven states. In 2018, Benchmark was certified as a Great Place to Work by the Great Place to Work Institute and became the first senior living organization and only the fifth Massachusetts-based company to receive Certified Age Friendly Employer (CAFE) designation from RetirementJobs.com. It has been recognized as a top workplace by The Boston Globe for 10 consecutive years as well as by the Boston Business Journal, Connecticut Post, Hartford Business Journal and Hartford Courant. For more information, visit www.benchmarkseniorliving.com.
Edgehill