A Message from our CEO,
Lisa Haglund
This month, I wanted to take a moment to speak to you about our response to the challenges facing our industry and our organization that we experience each day: staff retention and recruitment, employee burnout, regulatory mandates, facility maintenance, maintaining high levels of patient care, and so much more.
I know that the COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging for each and every one of you. We often discuss how Heritage can build a sustainable future and be here for the people who need us. Our response is that it is “Time to Invest.” By investing in what matters most, we can create our “Time to Thrive.”
“Time to Invest” means that we’re going to strongly advocate for what is right on behalf of our employees, residents, families, and the communities where we operate. “Time to Invest” isn’t always about spending money, although that is part of it. “Time to Invest” means we’re going to take multiple actions on multiple fronts to ensure that we are affecting the changes that are needed today and that will put Heritage on the path to a sustainable and successful tomorrow.
We’ll continue to make smart financial investments in 2022 through spending that will benefit those we both employ and serve, with new ventures in transportation and communication tools, just to name a couple.
More important now than ever, “Time to Invest” signifies the commitment we must all make to advocacy in the legislative arena. Together, we can seek policy and regulatory changes. We need to ask our elected representatives for our just share of funding. The senior care industry has been ignored in terms of funding for many years. Government funding is critical to help communities like ours continue to operate effectively, deliver high quality care, and ensure a strong future for everyone we serve. Too often, we face new government mandates with no matching reimbursements to cover these costs. We all want to do our best for our residents and follow government regulations, but we need a commitment from our elected officials to cover our costs for delivering high quality care. I don’t need to tell you that COVID-19 resulted in higher costs in many of the basics required to operate our communities. These financial burdens are difficult when government reimbursements for the important care we provide don’t keep pace. Creating the “Time to Thrive” is critical because it means so many important things for our residents, staff, and the communities we serve. You can visit our website at www.heritage1886.org/advocacy for more information on how you can get involved.
Please join me in making “Time to Invest” at Heritage.
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Administrator's Corner
Rebecca LeBaron
Area Director of Senior Housing
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Where flowers bloom, so does hope”
Lady Bird Johnson
Do you look for signs of spring? Or pay attention to old wives’ tales such as it has to snow on the daffodils three times before its truly spring. If I am honest, I lose count each year just how many times it snows on the daffodils! Is it how many times after they begin to come out of the ground? Or is it after they bloom? They look so sad and defeated when they droop due to the weight of the snow.
The last two years have been very trying due to the pandemic. It seems the rest of the world has gotten back to somewhat of a normal routine but in senior housing, we still have many rules and mandates we have to follow. There are days we droop due to the weight of it all; not only physically but mentally. Its hard!
I cannot thank those I work with, the residents and families for being the warmth needed when we want to feel droopy. But like the daffodils, once the sun comes out and the snow melts, the daffodils stand up tall to reach the warmth of the spring sun. Spring is exciting to anticipate and once it is finally here, we look forward to better weather and feeling the warmth of the sun at least for a time.
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Egg hunts, visits from the Easter Bunny,
and spring crafting made April extra special!
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Chaplain's Corner
Larry Petry, Senior Chaplain
In the gospels, Jesus has a gracious way of preparing his followers for the difficult things they will encounter. He often drops hints, tells stories or shares an illustration. Jesus even does this in preparing them for the roller-coaster experience of his tragic death on the cross and his triumphant resurrection from the dead! Part of the Easter story is remembering how the followers of Jesus started to wrap their minds around all these things once they began to encounter the resurrected Jesus.
We find that in our time, we experience so many things that we are trying to wrap our minds around, also. Jesus’ gracious statement predicting his own death has many layers of insight. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds (John 12:24). While common, the illustration of a seed is really interesting- we take something small, we bury it away from sight, and in unseen ways and unseen fashion, it grows into MORE.
Perhaps we are growing in unseen ways. Perhaps the small seeds of faith, of hope, of trust or wisdom are being planted by God in the ordinary circumstances we encounter, and then, tucked away unseen, they grow. Amazingly, the gracious process of growth is happening unseen- even in our difficulties, our stresses and our stretching points.
Even in the frustrating circumstances of life, I invite you to consider, “What quality is God growing in me here? How can I help make it grow?” I’m convinced that in our unique period of history, God is producing something within us. Let’s not be discouraged. Let’s yield ourselves to this process and be willing to grow. Let’s take hope, knowing that our Savior works best as new life is tucked away, working powerfully behind the scenes to emerge at the right time and bear much fruit. May this be true in us as well.
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The Heritage Ministries public policy team advocates on behalf of our residents, their families, and our staff, to enact policies that will address the needs, quality care, and safety that ensures all our communities are beacons of Hope, Dignity, and Purposeful Living. Add your voice to ours! Learn more about how you can continue to advocate for Heritage and our residents by clicking HERE.
Please come alongside Heritage in urging state lawmakers to oppose increase to assisted care facilities (ACF) penalties and to support the passage of role of nurses in ACF legislation.
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Send a FREE Heritage eCard to brighten up your loved one’s day or encourage a staff member! We have a variety of cards to fit the occasion, with your own customized message inside! Click on the photo above to get started or visit www.heritage1886.org/ecards,and we’ll print and deliver your card for free!
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Heritage Ministries | www.heritage1886.org
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