by Brad Heidrick
It is said that the view is good from the top. Through the hard work and dedication of the Catholic Community staff, Villa St. Francis and Catholic Community Hospice have recently achieved a Medicare 5-Star rating, designating these as top-quality services. Villa St. Francis in Olathe was also recognized by the state of Kansas as a PEAK (Promoting Excellent Alternatives in Kansas) Level 8 Mentor Facility.
In fact, the team did such a great job, Villa St. Francis was allowed to bypass several levels and skipped straight to the highest rating a senior care community can achieve.
I think we’d all agree, we’ve been blessed with a wise archbishop. When we brought the archdiocesan health care ministries of Villa St. Francis, home care, and hospice together under a single banner, we were faced with an intriguing challenge: What do we call ourselves?
When we chose the name “Catholic Community Health,” we had a few thoughts in mind: that faith comes first in all that we do, that we want to be an invaluable resource to our community, and that we are committed to serving the elderly, infirm, sick and dying in all that we do — regardless of the individual’s ability to pay.
Community is important, both the community around us and the community that we’re seeking to create, and that’s what PEAK is all about. A critical aspect of the care at Villa St. Francis is seeking to create an environment where our residents feel like they’re a vital part of a vibrant community, not just another patient to be served on our schedule.
This manifests itself in a variety of ways — we removed the large nurse’s station at the end of the halls and repurposed it into a common room where residents from various neighborhoods can gather to share a story, watch television or play games with one another. Each “hall” was renamed as a “neighborhood” to give each resident a greater sense of belonging. We call it “person-centered” care, and we seek to care for the whole person —mind, body and soul.
The 5-Star ratings, the PEAK distinction and all the other great work done through home care, hospice and Villa St. Francis are possible because of our dedicated staff, our heroic volunteers and our generous donors.
Following the great success of our Fall Ball, I’m grateful for all that we’ve been able to accomplish, and look forward to what the future holds. And if you would like to join us by extending a helping hand as a volunteer or donor, let us know online at: info@catholiccommunityhealth.org. We’ve got a strong and growing community and would love for you to be a part of it.
