Council of Accreditation Review Period Completed with High Scores!
March 19, 2015
Recently, a large number of employees rejoiced after the COA (Council of Accreditation) review period was completed. For months the entire staff worked together to compile necessary documents to meet COA’s approval. Anne McManus, CEO of Latham wrote about her staff, “To receive such high marks for our work is a credit to all of you. Your professionalism, care, and commitment were evident throughout the process. The reviewers spoke with staff, residents, and students, outside stakeholders and members of the board. In every instance, they left impressed by what they saw and heard…they commented on the high standards that they had witnessed throughout their review and they were impressed by the enthusiasm, [innovation] and pride that people took in their work.”
Tim Vaughan, Director or Leadership and Growth, has a few ideas on how Latham navigated this highly rigorous process in such a seemingly effortless way.
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Community. Latham is a true community that takes care of its own. We care for each other and strive to help those around us. The reviewers were most impressed with how happy people- staff and residents- were here. The better the relationships we have with each other, the more we can accomplish for our residents. Every employee and resident has a place in the Latham community.
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Leadership. This place belongs to each employee who works here. The reviewers quickly realized that Latham was different from other organizations in that we strive to empower and engage each and every employee. It is the only way we will truly be successful. This entire visit would not have been possible without leadership on a number of levels. Craig was the primary leader in this process, who did an unbelievable job in organizing all that was required, but things went smoothly because “leadership” was demonstrated through each level and every department. We never would have succeeded like we did if employees didn’t feel “ownership” in their site.
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Teamwork. I don’t know if you can tell by looking at me, but I am not much of a dancer. Although I lack rhythm in my feet and can shock an entire dance floor in seconds, I am very good at identifying when a team is in rhythm. I have never Latham “dance” so well. In order to be on part of a good team, you need to clear communication, willingness to help those around you before yourself and a commitment to the end goal. Teamwork is sometimes messy, chaotic and difficult to do. In order for us to be successful with this visit, there was no room for weak links or weak teams. All of the “teams”- from each shift, department, location and job- not only had to work well alone, but had to collaborate with all other teams. As a team we can succeed far more than we can alone.