Bridgeview Center recognized with rare nursing home award

Ormond Beach Observer
Neighbors

The award is held by only 22 nursing homes, out of 682 eligible, in the country.

BY EMILY BLACKWOOD | STAFF WRITER

Molly McKinstry, deputy secretary for health quality assurance at the Agency for Healthcare Administration, sees a lot to like at Ormond Beach's Bridgeview Center.

"They do things like a breakfast bar, and you don't think of a breakfast bar in a nursing home," McKinstry said. "But if someone smells the food, looks at the food, picks out what they want, then they are probably going to eat more. Those types of things sound like just quality-of-life issues, but they actually result in people losing less weight. ... Its the right thing for the residents."

The facility was recognized with the Governor's Gold Seal award Friday, Nov. 22, in a ceremony.

Opis Management, the organization that manages Bridgeview, operates several nursing homes in the state and boast more gold seal facilities then any organization in the nation, McKinstry added.

Martha Pacheco checked her 91-year-old mother, Margaret, into Bridgeview about a year ago.

"I drive an hour each way, that's how much I love this place," she said. "She's happy and that's the main thing."

Currently, only 22 facilities out of 682 in the country have the gold seal award.

"We have a mission and it's very important to us," said Erika Cona, Bridgeview's nursing home administrator. "It's our family-like atmosphere, people feel that. You can tell as soon as you walk in. It's not just a business, it's a way of life."