Kindred Mountain Valley receives their Baldrige Award

Kindred Nursing and Rehabilitation Center- Mountain Valley received their 2016 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award last week after be named a recipient late last year. Mountain Valley is the first nursing center to receive a Baldrige Award in the program’s history. The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award is usually presented by the President of the United States, but this year, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross was given the honor of recognizing organizations that demonstrate quality achievement and performance excellence. The honorees are recognized for their outstanding commitment to sustainable excellence through innovation, improvement and visionary leadership.

“This year’s recipients each exemplify the very best this country has to offer,” said Ross.

Kindred Mountain Valley’s executive director Maryruth Butler was on hand to receive the award.

“It is with tremendous pride and great humility that I accept the 2016 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award on behalf of our 90 dedicated employees and numerous volunteers that are committed each day to providing the highest quality of care, in an environment of respect and compassion, for every patient and resident we serve,” Butler said.

The magnitude of the award is already quite substantial, but being the first nursing center to receive the award makes Mountain Valley the standard bearer for all future skilled nursing centers to strive to be.

“It is a great honor to be recognized for the incredible hard work and innovative spirit that has brought us to where we are today,” Butler said, “the first skilled nursing and rehabilitation center to be recognized by the Baldrige Program. We understand, with this honor comes a responsibility to continue our journey, to uphold the standards of this award, and to assist other skilled nursing centers on their quest for excellence.”

Butler was able to thank several people for their hard work and help in achieving this massive recognition, but none were as special as the Silver Valley’s own Dr. Fred Haller.

Haller was on hand for the presentation and Butler made sure that his recognition was special.

“I especially want to thank Dr. Haller, who has served our community for 41 years, but more importantly has dedicated the last 25 years as our Medical Director,” Butler said. “Thank you for your commitment to our center and for traveling to be with us here tonight.”

Butler wasn’t the only Kindred representative who was excited about the award, company president and CEO Benjamin A. Breier was exceptionally happy for the Mountain Valley branch.

“This award represents the highest honor that can be presented to American organizations for their quality achievements and outstanding performance and we are extremely proud of Mountain Valley for attaining this recognition,” Breier had previously stated. “All of the teammates at Mountain Valley embody Kindred’s mission, vision and commitment to patient-centered care.”

This isn’t the end of the line for Mountain Valley, the skilled nursing center is always looking to get better and better.

“This has been one of the most amazing journeys I am sure a skilled nursing facility could ever experience,” Butler remarked. “Six years ago, when our center was deemed ‘Gold Worthy’ and we were asked, ‘what’s next?’ Our response was ‘success is not final.’ And as we continue our journey we will continue to apply what we have learned through the Baldrige Program so our patients, residents, and customers can experience the Excellence they deserve.”

Mountain Valley’s achievements prior to becoming a Baldrige Award finalist include several state and national honors. For the past 12 years, Mountain Valley received the State of Idaho L. Jean Schoonover Quality Award for quality of care and compliance with regulations. In 2016, Mountain Valley was one of only two nursing homes in the state to receive the L. Jean Schoonover Gold Award. In 2011, Mountain Valley earned a Gold - Excellence in Quality Award presented by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living. Mountain Valley has received a five-star rating on the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Five-Star Quality Rating System since the program’s first year in 2009. In 2016, they received the Providigm Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement Embracing Quality Award for exceptional achievement for customer satisfaction. “This year’s honorees are trailblazers in innovation, small business, health care and sustainable textiles. Their visionary leadership is helping to power the economy and increase our ability to compete globally,” said U.S. Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker in announcing the award recipients today. “The Commerce Department proudly supports these four outstanding organizations for their unwavering commitment to performance excellence and their dedication to always reaching higher.” The Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology manages the Baldrige Award in cooperation with the private sector. The panel of judges recommended this year’s Baldrige Award recipients from a field of 34 applicants after an independent board of examiners evaluated their applications in seven areas defined by the Baldrige Criteria: leadership; strategy; customers; measurement, analysis and knowledge management; workforce; operations; and results. Of those 34, 15 organizations received site visits, which is a prerequisite to being named a recipient. Kindred Nursing and Rehabilitation Mountain Valley is located just north of I-90 about 40 miles east of Coeur d’Alene in northern Idaho. The facility offers private and semi-private rooms; specialty inpatient rehabilitation; in-room refrigerators, telephones and televisions; concierge services; enhanced dining with specialty menu items; beautician and barber; vegetable garden and fruit trees with gardening activities for patients and residents; and more. Working with the individual’s physician, Kindred’s interdisciplinary team – including medical specialists, nurses, nutritionists, therapists, dietitians and social workers – establish a comprehensive treatment plan intended to restore the patient to the fullest practicable potential. For more information, visit www.mountainvalleycare.com or contact Maryruth Butler, Executive Director, Kindred Nursing and Rehabilitation Mountain Valley, at (208)784-1283.