Hillcrest employees donate toward chapel, other causes

McCOOK, Neb. — Even employees at Hillcrest Nursing Home are investing into the future of the facility.

An additional 20 employees have recently signed up to designate a portion of their paychecks to go toward Hillcrest Foundation, with employees earmarking their contributions for a chapel, scholarships, or “other,” said Don Harpst, former Hillcrest administrator and long-time volunteer.

Harpst spoke at the Hillcrest Board of Trustee meeting Tuesday morning and said creating a chapel at the facility has been a goal of the Foundation for about 10 years. A location for the chapel still needs to be chosen and he offered the board several ideas to consider, such as deleting four rooms at the end of a north hallway or using one of the courtyards.

Currently, $34,000 in the Foundation is designated for the chapel, he said.

Board president Randy Dean said those funds are also supposed to be used to finance a schematic design needed for a chapel, and that the idea of a chapel is “still being kicked around a lot.” The Foundation would “lead the charge” as far as fundraising, he said, adding that the board would look into it and vote on it in the future.

With the ball in the Board of Trustees court, site selection and what to include in a chapel must be determined by them. Site selection could be tricky as it must be easily accessible for the residents and centrally located, as well as meet all safety and health codes for a nursing home. Building an addition to Hillcrest for a chapel is another, and costlier, option.

Hillcrest is owned by Red Willow County but operates on its own revenue.

Currently, the activity room at the facility is being used as a chapel, when not in use for resident activities. Tamra Neel, activities director, said after the meeting on Tuesday that she feels a separate, “more sacred” space needs to be designated for a chapel as it’s like “having rosary and Mass in the same place as beer and polka nights.”

Ron Ross, president of Rural Health Development, the healthcare management company hired at Hillcrest, also told the board at Tuesday’s meeting that within the next two months, a survey of employees would be conducted at the facility, as well as at the Wauneta and White Clay, Neb., facilities his company manages. Results would be sent to his office in Lincoln, Neb., and then shared with the board. The point of the survey is to “find out where we’re at and where we want to go,” he said.

In other business, the board was informed by Amanda Randolph, Hillcrest Human Resources, that three applications have been received for director nursing. The facility currently does not have a director of nursing.

Board member Mike Eklund asked about Hillcrest employing foreign nurses, a topic that was first discussed several months ago by the board. Hillcrest business manager Renee Wright said that currently the facility is fully staffed and not in need. Eklund said it was his understanding that hiring foreign nurses could take up to six months to be finalized, so to be prepared, “why not get it going now?”

“I strongly suggest we pursue it,” he said, “to be in place if we need it.”

Hillcrest administrator Brad Cheek agreed. Ross said foreign nurses are all registered nurses and at other facilities he manages, they have come from Mexico, Korea, the Philippines and Africa. They are good employees, often willing to work night shifts, he said.

Other topics discussed at Tuesday’s meeting included:

— Hillcrest Administrator Brad Cheek clarified that he was responsible for purchases for the facility up to $500; after that, Board of Trustees approval is needed.

— Cheek asked that board members review the monthly QAPI (Quality Assurance Performance Improvement) plan. These are needed to keep the facility in compliance and include issues in the building and plans to correct those issues, he said. Board member Ann Barger asked if the plans could be emailed to her and board president Randy Dean requested the same. Ross said board members should be careful of information included in the plans so HIPAA regulations are not violated. HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) is a federal law that requires the protection of medical information.

— There are several teens at Hillcrest working as “nurse aides in training,” two in high school and another one in a younger grade.