This Is Home!
Left to Right: Jessica Santiago (AIT) and Stacey Powell (STNA)
December 2, 2021
NOTE: This was taken from the blog of Foundations Health Solutions leader Bob Speelman. Bob works closely and frequently communicates with our Foundations Health facilities. It is so inspiring to see how each care team embodies the vision of our founder and nursing home developer, Brian Colleran, to be "A Culture of Care."
I spent the day yesterday at Hearthstone, our 96-bed Nursing Home located in Cincinnati, Ohio. I had the honor of working alongside Stacye Powell, a truly amazing Nursing Assistant and person. Stacye is 47 years old and first became a Nursing Assistant in 2008.
She worked at Hearthstone back then but wasn’t sure if it was what she wanted to do and left within her first 90 days to work at a Hospital. In 2018 she came back to Hearthstone because she missed the people and felt she had missed her calling.
Tragedy stuck Stacye in 2019 when her 28-year-old son was shot and killed. As Stacye was telling me the story of those dark days, her eyes welled up with tears. She told me how her fellow employees and employees from across the company donated PTO hours so she could take off during this time of tragedy and grieving.
She told me how the staff came to her son's funeral and showed her so much love and compassion and support. Stacye said,
“This is my family here at Hearthstone... I love them, and they love me. I will never work anyplace else. This is Home!”
There is a special bond among the entire team at Hearthstone. You can feel it and see it. Everyone helps everyone. There is love and respect among all the staff. The Management Team is amazing and leads by example. Val Shephard, the former Administrator and Regional Director of Operations, who everyone calls “Mother” and who is now retired, was there when I arrived helping them decorate for Christmas. It’s a special place, and the residents are so loved and cared for; it warms your heart.
Stacye told me when her Dad learned that she was going to become a Nursing Assistant, he told her,
“Stacye, if you're going to take care of people, you take good care of them!”
Stacye definitely listened to her Dad. She told me she realized soon after starting this career that
“you don’t REALLY see the elderly until you care for them. That’s when you REALLY see them.”
I’m so glad Stacye listened to her heart and came back to Hearthstone to follow her calling! She is an amazing person and we are lucky to have her and we are lucky to have an amazing and loving team at Hearthstone that is following their calling and making a difference every day! The joy and laughter and love I experienced at Hearthstone was inspiring. What an amazing team of CareGivers!
Bob Speelman, STNA