Q: Why is behavioral health core to your brand?
A: We became known as sort of a problem-solver for these patients that traditional nursing homes weren’t taking [when entering the sector in 2002]…. We stay focused on our mission of serving, in most of our buildings, an underserved population, and that in itself has brought value to us in our reputation and in fact, financially, to keep our occupancy.
Q:You’ve maintained high star ratings overall and for staffing. How do you attract workers to both your behavioral programs and specialty clinical programs?
A: We’ve found that certain employees are drawn to work in a speciality program. There are many who feel that they’re really helping … people with specialized needs that are very underserved. If we can help them and bring them up to their highest level of potential and even discharge them to the community, it’s very rewarding.
Q:Do you expect skilled providers to rush into behavioral services given the recent federal push?
A: You can’t just go into it thinking it’s going to put a head in the bed or be a census filler. You have to have the programming in place first. You have to have the resources there, strict policies, and be able to train your staff appropriately for those types of residents and behaviors.
