Nursing Homes Recognized for Leadership in National Campaign

May 23, 2007

West Des Moines, Iowa - The Iowa Foundation for Medical Care today praised 197 Iowa nursing homes for their leadership and commitment to high quality nursing home care. These facilities represent 43 percent of all facilities in the state.

The Advancing Excellence in America's Nursing Homes campaign - an unprecedented, two-year national campaign that began in September 2006 - is aimed at accelerating quality improvement in nursing homes across the country. Already, more than 4,400 nursing homes nationwide have committed to work on at least three of the campaign's eight measurable clinical quality and organizational improvement goals to create a culture of person-centered, individualized care and an empowered workforce. More than 500 consumers across the country have signed up to support the nursing home quality campaign.

"As we celebrate National Nursing Home Week May 13-19th and Older Americans month in May, we are excited that so many Iowa nursing homes are showing their leadership and commitment to quality by registering early for the Advancing Excellence in America's Nursing Homes campaign," said Joyce Taylor, IFMC. "As the convener of the campaign's Local Area Network for Excellence, we are providing support to the Advancing Excellence participants and urge every nursing home in the state to join this important campaign," she said.

For a list of the campaign's Advancing Excellence participants in Iowa, visit the campaign's official Web site, www.nhqualitycampaign.org and click on "Find Participating Nursing Homes," then search by state. Nursing homes providers and consumers can learn more about the campaign and register to participate on the Web site.

(This material was prepared by the Iowa Foundation for Medical Care, the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization for Iowa, under contract with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The contents presented do not necessarily reflect CMS policy. SoW-IA-NH-05/07-034)

Media Contacts:
Linda Ruble (515) 223-2107 lruble@ifmc.org