Participating nursing homes will receive individualized assistance to stabilize staffing and improve quality

Cary, N.C. – The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Services (DHEC) has awarded a two-year contract to The Carolinas Center for Medical Excellence (CCME) to provide workforce retention and development services for long-term care facilities in South Carolina. The program is designed to strengthen frontline nursing home staff retention and enhance performance using a three-phase approach through the Long-Term Care (LTC) Leadership Academy. Providers will receive assistance with the process of engaging staff in collaborative problem-solving and reorienting resources and incentives to improve outcomes. The goal is to help corporations and executive leadership build the skills and systems for inclusive leadership and supportive workplace practices that increase stability, reduce turnover, and provide resident-centered care.

CCME is partnering with B&F Consulting, Inc., experts in nursing home culture change, to support this program. All participating nursing homes will receive on-going individualized consultation with practical steps they can adapt to their own circumstances.

CCME will use a three-phase approach:

Phase 1: Learn best practices from eight high-performing facilities to develop a business model to improve staff retention.

Phase 2: Support 12 nursing homes to pilot these best practices, adapting them to each home’s unique circumstances. Involve the corporation in the pilot to ensure the pilot meets business needs and is replicable.

Phase 3: Spread best practices with 40 additional pilot nursing homes and their corporations, using a virtual learning collaborative based on the change package from the 8 high performers and the 12 pilot homes. After the learning collaboration, share business model best practices for statewide implementation.

"Long-term care facility staff have endured a very challenging time over the past few years of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we hope this contract with The Carolina Centers for Medical Excellence will help our state build a strong, committed workforce that feels supported in its mission to provide safe, quality care to facility residents," said Alison Haggwood-Jamison, Director of DHEC's Healthcare Associated Infections Section.

The program, led by Karen Southard, RN, MHA, CPHQ, director of Quality Improvement Programs, will assist providers through onsite visits, coaching calls, virtual group meetings, peer-to-peer learning, and data analysis. “This unique approach allows nursing homes to learn from their peers and make practices their own. We are eager to learn from those who performed best throughout the pandemic and to share their good practices across the state. CCME will help homes create and implement solutions that create sustainable results,” said CCME President and CEO Steven Martin, MHA, CPHQ, FACHE. “We are excited about working with DHEC to help South Carolina nursing homes improve their staffing and outcomes.”

To learn more, contact Chris Aiello, Director of Business Development, at caiello@thecarolinascenter.org