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Laurel Health Care Company & Ciena Healthcare Announce 2022 Student Scholarship Honorees

Laurel Health Care Company and Ciena Healthcare, operators of more than 80 skilled nursing and rehabilitation facilities across five states, are proud to announce eight recipients of scholarship awards through the Ciena-Laurel Student Scholarship Program administered by Scholarship America®.

Five Stars! The Laurels of Pender Earns Overall Quality Honor from CMS

The Laurels of Pender, a skilled nursing and rehabilitation center operated by Laurel Health Care Company, has been recognized as a five-star facility in Overall Quality by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in the most recent set of data released through its Five-Star Quality Rating System.

Amy La Fleur Named Senior Vice President of Operations for The Ciena Group

The Ciena Group – Ciena Healthcare and Laurel Health Care Company – is proud to welcome Amy La Fleur as senior vice president of operations. La Fleur brings more than 25 years of operational experience across the Midwest to her new role.

Research Review Shows Community Spread Is The Primary Driver Of COVID Outbreaks In Nursing Homes - AHCA/NCAL

From the American Healthcare Association/National Center for Assisted Living

A review of scientific research by leading academic experts in the field found that community spread was the primary driver of COVID-19 outbreaks in long term care facilities. The review examined 36 different studies, and the final analysis was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. The paper supports prior findings that showed that the size and location of a facility were the strongest and most consistent predictors of COVID-19 outcomes, especially if the facility was located in an area with high COVID-19 rates.

The study concluded that if communities had been better able to control the spread of the virus, nursing homes would have had a better chance at mitigating outbreaks and safeguarding residents. Additionally, the scientific review found that ownership type and quality performance were not strong indicators of how prepared a nursing home was for the pandemic. This means a facility’s rating within the Five-Star Quality Rating System and any previous infection control citations were not associated with COVID cases and deaths. The conclusion of the research stated:

“Given the importance of community COVID-19 prevalence and facility size, studies that failed to control for these factors were likely confounded. Better control of community COVID-19 spread would have been critical for mitigating much of the morbidity and mortality long-term care residents and staff experienced during the pandemic. Traditional quality measures such as Nursing Home Compare 5-Star ratings and past deficiencies were not consistent indicators of pandemic preparedness, likely because COVID-19 presented a novel problem requiring extensive adaptation by both long-term care providers and policymakers.”

Long term care residents are more susceptible to the virus because of their age and underlying medical conditions. And while heroic caregivers did everything they could to help prevent cases, they often lacked support from the public health sector for much-needed resources such as personal protective equipment (PPE), testing, and staff support.

While access to testing and PPE has greatly improved, long term care residents and staff still need support. The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) recently released a State of Skilled Nursing Facility Industry report that showed the dire economic and workforce crises facing the long term care sector due to the pandemic.

AHCA/NCAL sent a letter last week requesting meetings with President Biden, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to discuss ways the Administration and providers can work together to implement meaningful change to benefit residents and caregivers.

Long term care providers are committed to learning from this pandemic to help ensure it does not happen again, but as this research shows, they cannot do it alone. We need policymakers to prioritize our most vulnerable and give them full support and cooperation to make meaningful improvements possible.

Read the full research review HERE.

Vaccinated Older Adults Experience Fewer COVID-Associated Hospitalizations - Provider Magazine

CDC says that among adults aged 65-74 years old, effectiveness of full vaccination in preventing COVID-19-associated hospitalizations was 96 percent for the Pfizer vaccine, 96 percent for Moderna, and 84 percent for Johnson & Johnson/Janssen. For people 75 years old and over, effectiveness was 91 percent for Pfizer, 96 percent for Moderna, and 85 percent for J&J/Janssen.

COVID Cases in Nursing Homes Down 96 Percent Since Vaccine Rollout - Provider Magazine

A new report released on March 30 shows a dramatic decline in COVID-19 cases in U.S. nursing homes, thanks to initial vaccine allocations prioritized for the nation’s elders and people with disabilities in such facilities, advocates said.

Ciena Healthcare/Laurel Health Care Company Named One of the 2020 Best Workplaces for Aging Services by Great Place to Work and FORTUNE

Great Place to Work® and FORTUNE have honored Ciena Healthcare/Laurel Health Care Company as one of the 2020 Best Workplaces for Aging Services. The ranking considered feedback representing 189,159 employees working for Great Place to Work-Certified™ organizations in Senior Housing & Care and At-Home Care in the Aging Services industry.

Vaccinate LTC Residents, Staff First to Stem COVID Deaths - Provider Magazine

Leaders of the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) on Dec. 7 urged all state governors and public health officials to prioritize long term care (LTC) residents and staff for COVID-19 vaccinations as the surest way to quickly reduce the nation’s already staggering mortality rate blamed on the virus.

Statement on Potential COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

Statement from Laurel Health Care Company President & CEO Mohammad A. Qazi on the encouraging new developments regarding long term care and the soon-to-be-arriving COVID-19 vaccinations.

A Letter to Guests & Families from CEO Mohammad Qazi

A letter from Laurel Health Care Company CEO Mohammad Qazi regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Laurel Health Care Company is Certified as a Great Place to Work!

Laurel Health Care Company (The Laurels), a national provider of skilled nursing, rehabilitation, sub-acute and assisted living services with 46 facilities in five states, is proud to announce it has earned certification as a Great Place to Work® for 2020.

News & Events

Laurel Health Care Company & Ciena Healthcare Announce 2022 Student Scholarship Honorees

Five Stars! The Laurels of Pender Earns Overall Quality Honor from CMS

Amy La Fleur Named Senior Vice President of Operations for The Ciena Group

Research Review Shows Community Spread Is The Primary Driver Of COVID Outbreaks In Nursing Homes - AHCA/NCAL

Vaccinated Older Adults Experience Fewer COVID-Associated Hospitalizations - Provider Magazine

COVID Cases in Nursing Homes Down 96 Percent Since Vaccine Rollout - Provider Magazine

Ciena Healthcare/Laurel Health Care Company Named One of the 2020 Best Workplaces for Aging Services by Great Place to Work and FORTUNE

Vaccinate LTC Residents, Staff First to Stem COVID Deaths - Provider Magazine

Statement on Potential COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

A Letter to Guests & Families from CEO Mohammad Qazi

Laurel Health Care Company is Certified as a Great Place to Work!

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