The Nursing Homes/LTC Management Optima Award 2000   The Joint Commission Earnest A. Codman Award 2000   The American Health Care Association National Quality Award 2000

Please read below for more information.

The Optima Award, created by the Nursing Homes Long Term Care Management magazine and the Beverly Foundation, honors a facility's program that enriches the quality of life for their residents. It was given in the year 2000 in recognition of our "Transportation Links" program, a transportation service that brings residents together with family, friends and community.

How it works: The Kings Harbor transportation service is a comprehensive, seven day a week program providing transportation to all five boroughs of New York, as well as lower Westchester County, at no charge. The nursing home has four vans and a bus. All vehicles are wheel-chair accessible and equipped with infant and child car seats. The facility employs the drivers, who the rehabilitation staff trains, to assist disabled riders. In addition to visits by family and friends, the facility uses the vehicles to take residents on errands such as shopping or banking. The vehicles have also been useful when organizing field trips for large groups of residents.

The Joint Commission Earnest A. Codman Award was awarded to recognize excellence in the use of outcomes measurement to achieve health care improvement. Kings Harbor is the 2000 recipient of the award in the long term category for a project that keeps residents better connected with the community. The "Transportation Links to Quality Care" initiative helped older residents stay close to family and friends who otherwise would have had to navigate the tricky streets of the Bronx. And younger patients in the facility's subacute care program receive encouragement to continue with rehabilitation by receiving visitors.

Named for the physician regarded in health care as the "father of outcomes measurement," the Earnest A. Codman Award showcases the effective use of performance measurement, thereby enhancing knowledge and encouraging the use of performance measurement to improve the quality of health care. A panel of national experts in quality measurement and improvement selects the recipients of the award.

"There are limitless opportunities for improvement in health care, however, vision and leadership are essential to the achievement of true progress. We salute Kings Harbor Multicare Center for its commitment to continuos quality improvement that produces measurable benefits for the American public," said Dennis S. O'Leary, M.D., president, Joint Commission.

Although nursing homes today strive to replicate a home-like setting for residents, Kings Harbor was concerned by the lack of visits by family and friends. Recognizing that greater access to transportation would enhance resident quality of life, Kings Harbor started to explore solutions in early 1997 and now has four vans, plus a bus, that provide door-to-door service.

All of Kings Harbor's vehicles are wheelchair accessible and come equipped with infant car seats. This means family and friends of all ages can easily visit and residents are able to get out for shopping, banking, errands and rehabilitation appointments.

The program even starts before residents are admitted to Kings Harbor. Anyone considering the facility can call to arrange for a pick up and tour. Once admitted, Kings Harbor works with residents to set up a transportation schedule that meets their individual needs -- at no additional expense.

As a result, Kings Harbor's transportation program has achieved successes from 1997 to 2000 in the following areas:

• A 50 percent increase in visits to residents by family and significant others
• A 10 to 30 percent increase in our customer satisfaction for residents, families and the community
• Established an interdisciplinary approach to health care
• An increase from 291 admissions in 1997 to a projected 700 admissions in 2000

The American Health Care Association 2000 National Quality Award was given in recognition of Kings Harbor Multicare Center having "demonstrated its organization-wide commitment to a facility mission, identified its principal customers and their expectations, and indicated ways that it is ever striving to meet their needs."

 
Please follow the links found on the left of your screen for additional information. You can also call (718) 320-0400, or send E-mail to: info@kingsharbor.com. We look forward to speaking with you!