RINGWOOD, N.J. — The 52 staff members of Holy Name Friary’s (HNF) skilled nursing home here were honored last week with a luncheon in appreciation of their work.
HNF director A. Francis Soucy, OFM, organized the April 26 event on the suggestion of Provincial Minister John O’Connor, OFM, as a way to thank the Ringwood staff members for their dedication and expertise. Francis and other staff members served lunch to more than 30 attendees.
Francis said: “We are very proud of the five-star ranking, and I’m very grateful to the staff. They are the backbone of the friary.” The Ringwood facility was awarded the ranking by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in December.
The Provincial Minister spoke to the guests at the luncheon, held at 1 p.m. at the 20-year-old friary. At the end of the event, he said: “We have just had a great few hours together. We had a superb meal, great cake, and great companionship.”
John said the facility’s honor roll ranking among the 15,000 skilled nursing homes in the country was “a superb accomplishment” and a result of the hard-working staff. Holy Name Friary was recognized in the March 13 issue of US News and World Report in the list of America’s Best Nursing Homes.
“I offer our thanks on behalf of the Province for the great work the staff and the administration do here at Holy Name Friary,” said John.
The staff is divided into five departments, according to Francis. They are medical, nursing, operations, recreation, environmental, and food services.
Nursing director Kathy Manger notices a clear difference between Holy Name Friary and other long-term care facilities. “Nearly four years ago, I realized that this was the way nursing home facilities were supposed to function,” she said.
Next week, May 11 to 16, is National Nursing Home week. The 2009 theme, according to HNF’s monthly publicationOmninovitas, is “Nurturing a Love That Lasts.”
— Jocelyn Thomas is the Province’s director of communications.