Earlier in June, our Chief Financial Officer, Gary Ventola, was honored by LeadingAge Virginia with the Stewardship Award for 2022. The Stewardship Award is given to an individual that has advanced public trust and confidence in aging services through public service, collaboration, media or other effort to educate consumers and make informed choices. Congratulations Gary!
Serving Robot Being Tested in Dining Room at Brandon Oaks
In response to staffing shortages that are impacting communities all across the nation, Brandon Oaks Life Plan Community is taking action. Last week, Brandon Oaks began testing a robot server in their Independent Living Main Dining Room. Brandon Oaks is the first in the area to utilize this technology.
Partnering with Bear Robotics, a hospitality robotics company whose clients include Chili’s and Denny’s, Brandon Oaks is utilizing their Servi model. This model features 3 levels where plates can be placed and a small screen that the kitchen staff can then select which table the food is to go to. The robot has mapped the dining room out and if a path is blocked it will reroute itself to get to its destination.
“We decided to take action to address this issue, this will help our current staff and it has generated interest and conversation among residents. The reliability of this unit was highly attractive and extends our ability to provide services more efficiently,” stated Ben Burks, Brandon Oaks Executive Director. Echoing this sentiment is Gary Ventola, CFO of Virginia Lutheran Homes, Brandon Oaks’ parent company, “Our serving robot provides us the workforce to run food and drinks to the residents table while allowing our servers to spend more time interacting and assisting with the resident requests. This is helping us provide a best dining experience for our residents. The robot can work 12 hours long, never takes a break, and won’t call out sick. It’s the best assistant the dining team could ask for especially given the ongoing labor struggles we are having in our area.”
Residents have been so impressed by how effectively the robot works. Staff and residents are currently working on coming up with a name for Brandon Oaks’ newest staff member.
Story Coverage:
https://theroanoker.com/blogging/behind-the-page/brandon-oaks-testing-serving-robot/
Allison Williams Promoted to Director of Environmental Services
We are pleased to announce the promotion of Allison Williams to the new role of Director of Environmental Services. Allison previously served as the Housekeeping Manager for Independent Living and Assisted Living since October of 2019. In her new role, she will now oversee housekeeping in all levels of care, including the Nursing and Rehab Center.
Congratulations, Allison!
Beth Herndon Joins Brandon Oaks as Resident Services Director
We are so happy to welcome Beth Herndon as the new Resident Services Director at Brandon Oaks. Beth comes to Brandon Oaks as a certified dementia practitioner with experience in life enrichment programming for seniors, social work and a passion for working with seniors. We look forward to the positive impact she will make in the community.
Contactless Screening Technology Implemented Across Campus
Brandon Oaks Life Plan Community has implemented new technology for screening employees, and soon residents and visitors. Utilizing contactless temperature screening kiosks, users will be able to answer a series of questions and have their temperature taken by a device. Over the course of the pandemic, this process has been completed by staff members in various locations of the Brandon Oaks campus. However, this new tool will allow the process to be completely automated and lessen the risk of exposure for employees who were completing the screenings.
The kiosk, from Symtech Solutions, provides each user hand sanitizer and an opportunity for staff to scan their employee ID. Each employee then goes through a series of prompted questions, and their temperature is taken. They will be notified if they have been granted admittance to the facility and a badge is printed showing they passed the screening. If an employee does not pass the screening, a notification, a text and an email, is sent to their manager so they can follow up with the employee. Similar procedures are available for visitors and residents who are able to enter their name into the system and go through the same process.
“COVID-19 precautions aren’t going anywhere anytime soon and we wanted to find a more efficient way to complete daily screening of our staff,” said Gary Ventola, CFO of Virginia Lutheran Homes, parent company of Brandon Oaks. Ventola added, “This tool will allow employees who have been doing these screenings manually to refocus back to their main duties and it lessens the points of contact and therefore potential exposures.”
Brandon Oaks Announces Two Staff Promotions
We are excited to announce the following promotions:
Natalie Wynegar, who previously served as our Assisted Living Administrator, has been promoted to the Administrator of the Nursing and Rehab Center.
Jessica White, who most recently served as our Resident Services Director, has been promoted to the Administrator of our Assisted Living and Memory Support Center.
Nursing and Rehab Center receives first dose of COVID-19 vaccine
In partnership with CVS Pharmacy, the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine was distributed at the Nursing and Rehab Center on Tuesday, January 5th. CVS will return later in the month to administer a second dose and to give the first shot to any additional nursing center staff or residents who opt to take it. We hope this is the first step towards ending this devastating pandemic.
Thank you to WFXR for their coverage of our first vaccine clinic, click here for their story.
Brandon Oaks Nursing and Rehab Center Named a Best Nursing Home by US News and World Report
Brandon Oaks Nursing and Rehab Center has been named by US News and World Report, the global authority in health care rankings, as a 2020 Best Nursing Home in Short Term Rehab. With COVID-19 impacting all aspects of life this year, US News and World Report considered those factors in their determinations of who was named to this prestigious list. Click here for more information from US News and World Report‘s 11th Annual Best Nursing Home Rankings.
Gary Ventola Named Chief Financial Officer
On March 23, Virginia Lutheran Homes, owners and operators of Brandon Oaks Life Plan Community, welcomed Gary Ventola to their staff as Chief Financial Officer.
Ventola comes to VLH with 15 years of experience in the financial sector of senior living and the continuing care retirement industry. Most recently, Ventola served as Chief Financial Officer for Terrace Communities, located in Manchester, Vermont, where he directed the financial operation of seven senior retirement communities. He has also served in the CFO capacity at St. Andrew’s Resources for Seniors System, a not for profit system of twenty-three senior retirement communities including three CCRCs.
Ventola is a graduate of Virginia Tech with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Finance. Ventola also has earned multiple master’s degrees including an MBA from Indiana Wesleyan, Masters in Accounting from the University of Connecticut, and a Masters in Healthcare Law from Wake Forest University.
“We are excited to welcome Gary to Virginia Lutheran Homes. His extensive knowledge in senior living management and finance will be a great asset to our team,” says Heather Neff, President, and CEO of Virginia Lutheran Homes.
Charles Downs Joins Staff as Corporate Counsel
On February 3, Virginia Lutheran Homes, owners and operators of Brandon Oaks Life Plan Community, welcomed Charles L. Downs, Jr. to their staff as Corporate Counsel.
Charles is a seasoned attorney who has practiced law in Virginia for over 20 years. Over the years, Charles has focused his practice on health law and the representation of health care providers and institutions in various legal matters.
Most recently, Charles was a partner at the Roanoke office of Lewis, Brisbois, Bisgaard & Smith, LLP, an AMLaw100 law firm with offices across the United States.
“With the business of healthcare becoming more complex, we knew it was the right time to add corporate counsel to our staff, as many other healthcare organizations have done over the past few years,” said Virginia Lutheran Homes’ President and CEO, Heather Neff. “We are so fortunate that Charles comes to us with the background in healthcare law and an appreciation for our mission,” Neff added.
