Mission Health Services Wins Best of State for Skilled Nursing, 2019!

Since 1990, Mission Health Services, a non-profit organization, has been serving Utah’s most vulnerable residents. Our homes include skilled nursing, rehabilitation, assisted living, memory care and a home for adults living with developmental disabilities. MHS is the largest non-profit Senior Care organization in Utah. In April 2017, Mission became affiliated with Community Nursing Services (CNS) expanding its services to include Home Care, Pharmacy, Respiratory, Telemedicine, Durable Medical, and Hospice.

•  In 2010, MHS became the first Senior Care Organization to become an Eden Certified Home (edenalt.org). This national program is designed to change the culture of nursing homes from institutional (sterile, cold, ridged), to a place where our aging and disabled population can thrive. MHS is recognized as an industry leader in providing resident centered care and resident directed care. This means that unlike traditional nursing and assisted living homes, MHS’s core philosophy is to ensure that each resident own his or her own care as opposed to the facility making decisions for the residents. With our ‘choices’ program, residents chose when to go to bed, when to rise, what and when to eat, when to shower, when to receive their therapy, their activities, and even what color their room should be. 

 Mission Health Services has won numerous awards, including, the bronze and silver quality awards, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid quality awards, and West Jordan Care Center won the 2012 American Healthcare Association Non-profit of the Year Award. 

 Mission Health continues to meet or exceed State and Federal Regulations. Each year, nursing homes must go through a survey process to make sure we are giving quality care to the residents we serve. Each year, MHS meets or exceeds these expectations with some of the lowest tags in the state.

 MHS believes in being prepared if there is a natural disaster. . MHS believes in providing the highest quality of care, even in the event of a natural disaster. In an effort to join forces with community first responders and local hospitals, MHS joined the Salt Lake, Summit, and Tooele Healthcare Preparedness Coalition (SST) (www.sstcoalition.com). As a member of the SST, our staff receive advanced training in emergency preparedness through mass causality scenarios. Several staff have received FEMA certification. Several staff members sit on emergency preparedness committees. Each home has emergency HAM radios that are connected to homeland security, and MHS staff are trained and HAM licensed in using these radios and other equipment. MHS has 5 emergency trailers strategically located throughout Utah, with equipment and supplies to care for our residents in place, providing food, shelter, basic care items, and fresh water.

 MHS is innovative in changing the way society perceives long-term care through innovative and thoughtful programs and processes. Traditional nursing homes paint the picture, a place that is cold and sterile, a place where you lose privacy, dignity, autonomy, and respect, a place to die. At what point did we decide it was ok to institutionalize our aging and disabled population? MHS embraces the philosophy that a nursing home is not a place to die, but a place of community where our Elder’s thrive. MHS understands that not all who enter a nursing home are elderly. MHS has a large population of residents ranging from 15 to 100 years old. Many of whom will reside in our communities for years to come.

Maintaining a connection to the community is important to the well-being of our residents. To the average person who has not spent time in a long term institutional setting, the importance of “Well Being” may not be understood.  MHS has participated and created   life-changing programs to help residents stay connected with the community and maintain meaning and purpose.

Some of these programs include our choices program, Simply Me, meaningful activities, comprehensive memory care programming, and training programs for all carepartners.

One of the biggest adventures is our annual Moab River Rafting trip! Each year we take over 30 people down to Moab, put them in a hotel room and go river rafting down the Colorado River! Who says you cannot have an adventure living in a nursing home!

 MHS provided over $3,000,000 in charitable care and community contributions this year and 28,000,000 over the past 10 years. MHS provides excellent, affordable health care without regard to ability to pay. In the ever changing landscape of healthcare, MHS seeks to provide quality healthcare at affordable costs to Utah residents. For less than the cost of a hotel and significantly less than a hospital stay, MHS is able to provide skilled nursing, therapy rehabilitation, social services, laundry, housekeeping, fine dining, and enriching activities in a resident-centered and relationship rich environment. Medicare only covers up to 100 days of therapy services in a nursing home, only 20 days are at 100%. This means if you need long-term care services, you have to privately pay or rely on Medicaid to cover the cost of a nursing home.

MHS provides ageism training and intergenerational programs to the community. Marvin on a Mission was developed to teach our youth about the negative effects of ageism, how people age, and the behaviors of the generations. “Old people are categorized as senile, ridged in thought and manner, old fashion in morality and skills.” MHS is a leader in demonstrating the importance and vital role the elderly population plays in the community at large. By providing the surrounding community with an intergenerational program, MHS brings the youth and the aging population together. It is through these connections that we can better address the emotional needs of our aging population.

The youth are then encouraged to take part in our foundation, “Take my Hand, Tell me your Story.” This foundation was created by a youth volunteer interested in having our elders stories told. These stories are written or recorded and shared on our web-site, further connecting the youth and aging population. Stories have included experiences in WWII, life in the Great Depression, and advice for future generations. 

 MHS is dedicated to supporting committees on aging. Since opening its door in 1990, MHS has been a dedicated member of Utah Healthcare Association (UHCA). MHS staff are involved in leadership and support roles in the associations, including; board members, education committee, emergency preparedness, and clinical advisory team. MHS members also serve on state-wide boards, such as, Department of Professional Licensure, the Legislative Coalition, Utah State Commission on Aging, and The American Healthcare Association, Aging and Disability Resource Connections Steering Board. Involvement in these committees insures that we, Mission Health Services, are the voice, for the aging and disabled in Utah. 

Join the Culture Change Movement and Experience the Mission Difference!

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Heather Reynolds is a licensed administrator, Certified Alzheimer’s Dementia Practitioner Trainer, Certified Eden Educator, and Director of the Namaste Memory Care.