Western Pa. nursing home staff to be recognized at awards ceremony

Several nursing facility staff members will be honored at the annual Bravo! Awards hosted by Grane Healthcare.

Staff from the Greensburg Care Center, the LaurelWood Care Center, the Highland Park Care Center, the Cambria Care Center and the Harmon House Care Center will be recognized May 16 at an awards ceremony and banquet.

Staff from each facility nominates their team members for the awards.

Grane Healthcare, a company that provides consultation, advice and administrative support to providers of long-term care, started the award program as a way to acknowledge, encourage and reward employees “who make a difference in the lives of residents,” a release reads.

“The Bravo! Awards program strives to promote a positive employee experience and workplace culture,” Mark Fox, president of Grane Healthcare, said in the release. “We want to let staff know they are appreciated, valued and respected. In the coming years, it will be critically important to retain dedicated staff because an estimated 70 percent of people currently 65 and older will require long-term care in their lifetime.”

Pam Ghrist, director of social services at Greensburg Care Center, is set to receive the skilled nursing facility most valuable employee of the year award, according to a release.

The Latrobe resident has worked at the nursing home for nine years.

“It is such an honor to have been selected for the Bravo! award,” Ghrist said in a release. “I am truly blessed to work with such a wonderful team, including the staff, residents and families. That makes it possible for me to do the best job I can — each and every day.”

Roxanne Eber, Mary Ann Burick, Angie Freeman, Christine Trusdell, Eileen Zatezalo, Patricia Stahl, Kimberly Beitel, Ashley Adams, Nora Leach, Connie Lawrence and Jill Wetmore will also be recognized for their continuous service at Greensburg Care Center.

Kim Polfus, a licensed practical nurse at Harmon House Care Center, is receiving the nurse of the year award from her nursing home. The Champion resident will be honored along with several Harmon House employees for continuous service.

Awards will also be administered for the certified nursing assistant of the year to an employee at Cambria Care Center, the administrator of the year at Highland Park Care Center and the personal care employee of the year, awarded to a LaurelWood Care Center employee.

Other nursing homes that will be recognized at the event include Altoona Center for Nursing Care, Colonial Park Care Center, Harmar Village Care Center, Kittanning Care Center, Providence Care Center, Riverside Care Center and Woodhaven Care Center.