Philadelphia Nursing Home Administrator Chosen For 2015 Pa Health Care Association ‘Hero Award’
PHILADELPHIA — Carmella Kane, administrator at Renaissance Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Philadelphia, PA, has been honored with a statewide award for the positive impact she has on the lives of facility residents, their families and her colleagues.
Kane, a resident of Lansdowne, Pa., is among eight individuals selected for the Pennsylvania Health Care Association (PHCA) annual Hero Awards program. She was presented with the PHCA “Administrator of the Year” award and celebrated by her colleagues at the association’s annual convention on Nov. 10 in Valley Forge, Pa.
Ms. Kane’s colleagues describe her as dedicated to the residents of Renaissance and their families, taking the time and effort needed to build relationships that create trust and understanding. She welcomes new residents with a special “administrator’s lunch” to get to know them and open a line of communication to ensure their satisfaction with the care and services they receive at Renaissance.
“Carmella makes choices every day to brighten, enrich and benefit others’ lives,” said her colleague and nominator, Tiffany Bloom.
Kane is also committed to building and maintaining connections residents have with the local community and empowering their involvement. This is manifested in actions such as developing a caregiving plan so that a local religious leader could continue attending services and participating in his congregation following a stroke; engaging residents in card-making and cookie-baking to show appreciation for local police and fire stations; raising funds and donating books for a children’s library at the area’s family homeless shelter; and helping residents donate school supplies to a local afterschool program.
Kane’s dedication to serving the community extends beyond her efforts with the residents of Renaissance. She is a guardian in the Honor in Flight program, which brings elderly war veterans to Washington, D.C. to visit their respective war memorials.
When Kane is not attending to residents or serving the community she is mentoring and developing leadership among her staff at Renaissance — supporting those who are pursuing advanced licensure or degree opportunities. She sees this as an investment in the future of the profession and of Renaissance and encourages staff to share their ideas and suggestions for improvement and innovation. Kane understands that recognizing and rewarding employee success fosters engaged and committed employees.
PHCA’s “Hero Award” honors individuals who have excelled in providing outstanding care in a cooperative spirit of teamwork. Each year, PHCA accepts nominations from employees and administrators at long-term care and senior service facilities across the state that want to recognize colleagues for their commitment and dedication to quality care and quality of life.
A video featuring Ms. Kane can be viewed at https://youtu.be/8rqqcqOt1ik.
(From L to R: Russ McDaid, President and COO, PHCA; Carmella Kane, PHCA Administrator of the Year; Stuart Shapiro, CEO, PHCA; and Paul McGuire, Board Chair, PHCA)
The Pennsylvania Health Care Association (PHCA) is a statewide advocacy organization for Pennsylvania’s most vulnerable older residents and their providers of care. Members comprise for-profit, nonprofit and government providers. Together, they represent more than 500 long-term care and senior service providers that care for more than 50,000 elderly and disabled individuals. For more information call (717) 221-1800 or visit www.phca.org.