We asked everyone at the Avamere Family of Companies to share stories of a fellow team member who goes above and beyond to live the company values.
We received an overwhelmingly amazing response with great stories of individuals who truly exceed expectations and put a real passion into serving in their role.
Thank you to all our Compliance Heroes, as well as everyone in the Avamere Family of Companies, who work diligently every day to uphold our values and mission statement, to enhance the life of every person we serve.
 
Adrienne Briggs
Social Services Director, Avamere Olympic Rehab of Sequim
“Adrienne is our Social Services Director, and she is fabulous at maintaining confidentiality, a high code of ethics, and all HIPAA practices in and outside of our facility. As the Social Services Director, she encounters many situations within a work day that could make her simply want to sit and tell someone all the dramas that she hears, sees, etc., but she doesn’t. I know her inside and outside of work, and she is a stand-up woman and example for others to follow. Adrienne follows the regulations for her job, doesn’t ever act like a know-it-all (even though she knows a TON).
The best part about Adrienne is that no matter the situation, she stays calm even when under fire from a disgruntled resident, family member, or even another employee within the facility. She stays calm and validates the person(s) emotions because in this line of work (and any line of work really), a person’s perception is their reality, and we need to listen before we speak and truly listen; not simply wait for our turn to speak – Adrienne is fabulous at this.” – Carrie Atkins
 
Alexandria “Allie” Hernandez
Healthcare Coordinator & Medication Aide, Avamere at Rio Rancho
“Allie is an absolute asset to our community. She’s not just a Healthcare Coordinator; she is a true team leader and player. She goes above and beyond to help anyone that needs it. She has helped teach fellow coworkers how to utilize PCC during our transition to Avamere and is always ready to do the right thing and ensure that it is done then right way, even if it is not her job description. She is cautious and observant and able to see where help is needed. She’s the type of person who steps in to assist without being asked and does it simply to be helpful to her team, not only her Arbor team, but the ALF team as well. She is a diligent worker, always willing to fill in for shifts when we are short-staffed, any position needed.
Allie is also amazing with the residents, she provides comfort, stability, friendship, and respect to our residents which they truly deserve. If you spent a day with Allie in Arbor, you would see the incredible work ethic she puts forward on a daily basis, assisting with meals, clean up, housekeeping, filing, med orders, and activities (to name a few). She’s able to roll with the punches in any situation and adapt accordingly in order for our Arbor unit to be the best that it can be for our wonderful staff and residents.” – Janine Holguin
“To me she is the most amazing HCC in Memory Care ever. She not only does her job but she goes out of her way to help the caregivers and even help in assisted living. She always does the job right and would make an amazing leader one day.” – Jodi Meaux
 
Amanda Burrell-Chapman
Nursing Manager, Signature Healthcare at Home
“Mandi led the efforts of the Eugene Hospice branch as we moved through and closed out the ADR process and managed the OIG audit back-to-back. I believe everyone involved became aware of her knowledge and thoroughness, as well as the training and leadership she provides to staff on critical compliance matters.” – Kevin Garvey
 
Anibal Revolorio
Environmental Services Assistant, Avamere at Roswell
“Anibal always ensures that every aspect of the facility is safe for residents and employees. If a situation arises, he is quick to do what is needed to get back to safety standards. He’s a great worker.” – Cynthia Duncan
 
Brandi Cunningham
Receptionist, Avamere Heritage Rehabilitation of Tacoma
“Every day Brandi goes above and beyond to help any and everybody and is so accommodating and always appreciates people for their hard work. I constantly hear her saying ‘thank you for everything you do.’ She never judges or puts anybody down If they make a mistake. She is a great person to work with and be around in general.” – Brenda Woolums
 
Celeste Miller
Corporate Auditor, Signature Healthcare at Home
“Celeste keeps us updated with OASIS, Coding, and COPs.” – Navjot Cheema
 
Chelsea Brown
Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant, Infinity Rehab
“Chelsea goes above and beyond in making sure she and others are in compliance.” – Linda Thompson
 
Crystal Gage
Restorative Aide, Avamere Rehabilitation of Clackamas
“Crystal has worked for Avamere since she was 16 years old. She currently has her C.N.A license as well as restorative aide training. She also does central supply and transportation for Avamere Clackamas. On a daily basis, she is working with the residents to improve or maintain their ADL abilities, which improves their overall health and safety. She works non-stop to ensure residents get out to see their doctors when needed and ensures any items needed for their care is available to the staff. She does all these tasks while also ensuring compliance is met at all times. She is the glue that helps to hold this building together. She has great rapport with staff, residents, and families. She is an asset to Avamere.” – Bobbie Loomis
 
Diana King
Signature Healthcare at Home
“Diana is always going above and beyond for her NPs and patients. She is a good role model when it comes to compliance. She is always following protocols and HIPAA compliance. She is always willing to help out hospice and home health even though she is the Medical Assistant for primary care. She is an amazing team player and full of great knowledge. I am happy to have her on my team!!!” – Jeannette Cervantes
 
Don Austin
Maintenance Director, Avamere at Albany
“Don Austin (AKA Taco) is amazing!!! He has been looking out for the safety of our employees for almost five years. He will make sure our safety committee happens every month and I as the ED follow-up. He is in compliance on life safety, OSHA requirements, workers comp, and our disaster plan. If we need anything, he is right there to do it. He is a true team player, and we are pleased to call him our own!” – McKenzie Worden
 
Ebin Davie
Maintenance Lead, Avamere Rehabilitation of Hillsboro
“Ebin is what safety looks like in action. He is very mindful of the safety programs of Avamere and ensures that resident and staff safety is put first. He fixes and repairs items timely and thoroughly to safe guide from risk of injury.” – Duffy Dezember
 
Erin Snyder
Social Services Assistant, Avamere at Three Fountains
“Erin always goes above and beyond to ensure that the residents have a safe discharge plan and the families have everything they need for their loved ones to be able to go home. She is always available and agreeable for staff training and has worked in multiple capacities at Avamere at Three Fountains. She is always willing to help on the floor as a CNA or CMA when needed, even with being full-time as Social Services Assistant. She is always available for the needs of the patients, families, and fellow employees.” – Mary Nichols
 
Gerald “Jerry” McKlosky
Director of Dietary Services, The Arbor at Bremerton Memory Care
“Jerry always does the right thing, even when it’s hard. He goes above and beyond to understand what is required to remain in compliance and then follows through with every detail. Our facility is in start-up mode and many are willing to cut corners when things are hard. Jerry never does and will call out those who try to and educate them on how to handle those hard situations.” – Lindsay Baker
 
Jeanne Lange
Infinity Rehab
“Jeanne is the Admin for OP2 and is regularly checking the therapists’ chart notes to make sure the POC are signed by the MDs in a timely manner. She is watching other components of the notes for accuracy as well. She makes sure our Home Office and our Home Health is up to date with our licenses, flu shots, driver’s licenses, auto insurance, competencies, etc. She makes a difference in our compliance.” – Kim Drayer and Susan Madison
 
Jennifer Simerly
Rehabilitation Aide, Avamere Rehabilitation of Cascade Park, Infinity Rehab
“Jennifer is recognized on her team not only as the ‘glue’ but also as someone who keeps operations running smoothly each day. As an experienced Rehab Aide, Jen uses her time efficiently to eliminate barriers for the rest of her therapy team. In 2018 she was asked to organize a Safety Committee, develop a system for tracking meeting minutes, and systematize the compliance and safety records in this large, high-volume department. She completed these tasks with surprising speed and has maintained the systems consistently ever since. Thank you, Jen!” – Gregory Anderson
 
Joanne Dionne
Physical Therapist Assistant, Infinity Rehab
“As a supervising therapist, I work with many PTAs at Infinity Rehab. Joanne is exceptional in the performance of her duties. She is the only PTA that I know of to earn 100% on a recent chart audit. In my experience, her notes are clear, well-written, and consistent, which helps me to more effectively track patient responses to the plan of care and complete progress notes. Her interventions and treatments are effective, and she is very capable of thinking on her feet. She is friendly, fair, and a great team member!” – Henry Curme
 
Johanna Trost
HR Assistant, Infinity Rehab
“Johanna goes above and beyond to make sure everyone is 100% in compliance every day.
She constantly is making sure Infinity facilities are in compliance, so her doing as well as she does should make everyone feel a little more at ease.” – Donna Gordon
 
Jill Reed
Dietary Services Manager, The Pearl at Kruse Way
“Jill is the definition of compliance. She has more passion and drive to make sure all food and health standards are followed in her kitchen.
My story for Jill to be considered for Compliance Hero is about her follow-through with fluid thickness. I have seen Jill take time out of her day to offer her knowledge to family and care staff. She is always on top of who and when they have a change in the texture.
About a month ago there were a lot of new staff for the building. Instead of getting upset that incorrect information went out, Jill took all the staff and professionally taught them about textures. After she was done with the staff, she went to the resident and their family and again with professionalism taught them about textures.
I joke with her all the time, but Jill is very good at the compliance aspect when it comes to running a kitchen.” – Justin Hollingshead
 
Joe Goodwin
Maintenance Lead & Safety Committee Chairman, Avamere Rehabilitation of Eugene
“Joe is always going above and beyond to ensure the safety and happiness of our staff here at Avamere Rehab of Eugene. He is always helping out with anything that might make the lives of the people living or working here a little easier. Whether it is his job or somebody else’s, he steps up and does what needs doing!” – Alexis Newburg
“Joe ALWAYS has a smile on his face and NEVER passes anyone in the hallway (staff or resident) without a genuine greeting, smile, or offer of assistance. Joe does not just shine in his role but will go over and above every opportunity he gets to assist anyone who needs assistance. No job is below him, and he will make every effort to make sure that everyone around him is happy, comfortable, and feels like they are part of the Avamere family. He is the model of our core values, especially Integrity Above All Else.” – Brandy Kaye
“Joe’s compassion and care for each and every person is obvious with his daily interactions with staff and residents alike. Joe will always take the time to listen, offer assistance, and include everyone in making our facility shine!!! Joe is a role model for our core values and lives each and every one of them daily.”—Lisa Levick
“Joe is a role model for how ALL our staff should act not only towards our residents, but also towards each other. He goes above and beyond to make sure our residents have what they need and lives our mission and values every day. Joe makes sure he stays up-to-date on all compliance and ethics issues and encourages everyone else to with a smile on his face. We appreciate you, Joe!” – Chad Martin
 
Jonathon Mutchler
Maintenance Lead, Avamere Rehabilitation of Oregon City
“When we had our fire drills, he conducted and led it very well, instructing us what we need to do and can also do better.” – Heather Moore
 
Kyle Grabner
Maintenance Lead, Avamere Rehabilitation of King City
“Mr. Grabner’s awareness, knowledge, approach, and assistance combined with his point of correction compliance methods (when needed) are truly beneficial to the ‘maintenance direction’ aspect in our facilities. Truly the ‘Go-to Guy!’” – Michael Wilson Sr.
 
Laura Hoff
Outpatient Clinical Director, Infinity Rehab
Laura is a huge asset to Infinity. She is a patient advocate and works with patients’ families, creating a very warm and caring atmosphere. Along with being an exceptional physical therapist, Laura exemplifies compliance by always using best practice and adhering to all codes of conduct and guidelines in all her clinical encounters.
 
Libby Bailey
Dietary Department Server, Avamere at Newberg
“Libby goes above and beyond in her respect for every person’s rights and privacy. She always has a smile on her face. She has worked here three years and has always carried herself like this. It is a complete honor to work with her.” – Rick Lugar
 
Lori Scheel
Executive Director, Avamere at Hermiston
Submitted anonymously
 
Letisha McDonald
Medication Aid & Healthcare Coordinator, Avamere at Roswell
“Letisha goes above and beyond every day, from caring for every resident to making sure work is complete. She has time for every resident to talk about concerns or just to have a visit to ask about their day. She is a hard-working mother and caregiver. Great job, Letisha.” – Gloria Garcia
 
Makayla Whitmire
Director of Rehab, Infinity Rehab
“Makayla works hard to lead our department. She immediately notifies us of any and all things that are required after she is notified. She is organized, conscientious, and aware of what we need to do to stay in compliance. She is dedicated and hard-working.” – Adrienne Charpentier
 
Marie Rackley
Business Office Manager, Signature Healthcare at Home
“Marie was our QA person and is currently a superuser. She rocked any position she ever held. She helps us keep our star rating and always makes sure we are compliant in all areas. She is our go-to for any questions we have. She also headed up our emergency preparedness program and safety committee and quality meetings.” – Christa Foti
 
Melissa Peters
Physical Therapist, Infinity Rehab
“Melissa stays on top of all regulatory changes affecting the physical therapy (PT) profession as well as the skilled nursing facility (SNF) setting and shares information learned with the team and other clinicians. Melissa frequently reviews team documentation to ensure strict compliance with regulatory requirements and to ensure skilled services are demonstrated through these documents. She exemplifies the Infinity Rehab mission and values and is an asset to our company, as well as our profession!” – Denise Crosier
 
Michelle Funderburg
Hospice QAPI Manager, Signature Healthcare at Home
“Michelle was promoted a few months ago to QAPI Manager for Hospice for Signature. She has had a lot to take on including an OIG audit for our Portland office. She has and is implementing processes and educating to ensure all the hospice offices know what is required and what the regulations are for hospice. She is pleasant and dedicated. She always has a smile on her face and gets compliance and implements it in a positive way.” – Celeste Miller
 
Michelle Jabczynski
Director of Compliance & Strategy, Infinity Rehab
Submitted by Greg Thombell
 
Navjot Cheema
Clinical Nursing Manager, Signature Healthcare at Home
“Nav brings all her experience in compliance to her new role ensuring the field clinicians as well as her fellow clinical managers are as adept as she is.” – Catherine Robinson
“Nav continuously strives to ensure all staff are aware of COPs, in addition to any changes that may occur. She helps us understand where to find the information to encourage independence. She sacrifices her spare time to create charts, grafts, templates, and folders for reference. Her hard work helps those in the field maximize the patient’s potential to reach their goals. It is difficult to go above and beyond, especially when there are so many types of COPs, but she does all of this without complaint.” – Damie Wilson
“She is fantastic at what she does; she has helped me greatly to comply with HCHB standards. She’s excellent at motivating people to up their game in a positive manner.” – Peter Hildebrandt
 
Rebekka Franco
“Rebekka is an employee who demonstrates true compliance in every aspect. She has become a leader in her work ethics and proper overall care to our residents. She also welcomes newcomers to our team and shares her knowledge of rules and regulations.” – Olga Fuentes
 
Sara Johnson
Certified Nursing Assistant, Avamere Transitional Care and Rehabilitation of Boise
“Sara routinely goes above and beyond when caring for our residents. She is always able to lend a helping hand. She is one of the Restorative Nursing Aids and is always willing to help the staff on days when there is a call-in or when the day is busy. She recently achieved Employee of the Quarter. I believe Sara deserves to be recognized for her exceptional attitude and care.” – Aaron Rishell
 
Sarah Maldonado
Healthcare Coordinator, Avamere at Newberg
“Sarah is always a hard worker who goes above and beyond her work and is always covering extra shifts! She recently became the employee of the month, and she deserves this!” – Lizbeth Mancilla
 
Stacie Stallings
Social Services Director, Avamere Transitional Care and Rehabilitation of Boise
“Stacie is a social worker that never gives up. She always puts the residents’ needs first. She goes above and beyond every day for the well-being of all our residents. She is dependable, honest, and caring. Her years of experience make her a wealth of knowledge. In my 16 years in healthcare, she is by far the best social worker I have ever worked with. She is also proactive in accepting admissions as well as cautiously managing discharges.” – Dana Robbins
 
Tyrone Miller
Maintenance Assistant, Avamere at Pacific Ridge
“Tyrone has been working at Avamere for five years. Tyrone is known for going above and beyond for staff and the residents. There is never a dull moment in his day, and there is never a time where we see him stop moving. He is willing to go out of his way to fix something for someone in a safe way. He has the biggest heart and is known as the giant teddy bear in the building. So it wouldn’t be a surprise that he takes safety seriously. Tyrone is the guy that takes people around the building during orientation to show them all the safety measures, and he assists with safety meetings every month. Tyrone also has good relationships with residents; no matter how busy he is, he will find time to help them. He is seen as the go-to guy for safety and maintenance in the building.” – Meaghan Kalisch
“Tyrone has worked as a Maintenance Assistant in addition to leading Safety Compliance Meetings for four years. He regularly goes above and beyond expectations to ensure that Avamere is a safe work environment for residents and staff. Tyrone is one of the few employees I know that has most of the fire and safety codes memorized and is constantly surveying the building to identify safety concerns and address them. He has even assisted with reconfiguring room layouts to accommodate a resident’s needs while ensuring they comply with regulations.” – Sera Tucker
 
Valerie Heim
Senior Director of Rehab, Infinity Rehab
“Valerie Heim, OTA, SDOR, gives her time generously to support others in excelling at compliance issues. A few years ago when the chart audit process became more involved, Valerie offered to assist with chart audits. From there she offered to serve on the Infinity committee that was updating the audit tools to bring out the best in documentation that reflects great care. She brought that knowledge to the chart audits she completed for MID 1. As she gained confidence she began to individually discuss the audit results with the site directors so they gained more clarity about their role and documentation expectations. She set up individual calls with therapists as requested by the DORs to further support success in documenting our great care. As a result of her stepping into this role, she has influenced others, contributed to their success, and taken away the fear of compliance and audits for many of us.” – Lynn Janssen
 
Whitney Campbell
Licensed Practical Nurse, Signature Healthcare at Home
“Whitney is always very conscious of all of the patients under her care, aware of their needs, on top of whether they are still in need of Home Health or are no longer homebound.” – Annette Cochran
 
Editor’s Note: Some responses have been edited for grammar and readability.

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