For Immediate Release
June 18, 2018
Contact Deborah Pacyna

SACRAMENTO – The California Association of Health Facilities has been awarded a national Gold “Power of A Award” for an innovative program to develop leaders in the skilled nursing profession.

CAHF’s Nursing Home Leader Academy of Excellence (NHLAE) was selected for the award by the Society of Association Executives - Center for Association Leadership that recognizes a select number of organizations annually that distinguish themselves with innovative, effective and broad-reaching programs and activities that have a positive impact. The “Power of A” Awards recognize and celebrate the extraordinary contributions associations make to society by enriching lives, creating a competitive workforce, preparing society for the future and driving innovation.

“Our innovative leader academy has produced a new generation of skilled nursing facility leaders who are focused on achieving and sustaining positive change for residents,” said Craig Cornett, CAHF CEO/President.  “The graduates have been able to bring significant and long-lasting improvements into their work environments.”    

Since the re-launch of the nursing leader academy in 2015, 75 nursing home administrators have successfully graduated from the program. During the nine-month academy, participants attend four in-person, daylong training programs with nationally renowned instructors and create an action plan for a quality improvement program.

“This is a great honor given the national competition among associations and foundations.  More importantly, as a result of the academy, we have seen action plans to reduce falls, avoid hospital readmissions and increase staff retention,” said DeAnn Walters, CAHF Clinical Affairs Director and Academy coordinator. “Many of these improvement strategies can be replicated and used in other workplace settings.”

CAHF maintains an on-line communication community for academy alumni to remain connected to each other and prior participants to request and offer support and feedback on the implementation of innovative programs.

More than 92 percent of academy graduates are leading top-tier Four and Five-Star rated facilities as reported by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).