North Hollywood, CA – Windsor Gardens Healthcare Center of the Valley (“Windsor Gardens”), announced today they were selected by the California Association of Health Facilities (CAHF) as only one of 20 facilities in California to participate in a new Volunteer Engagement Project.
The California Department of Public Health awarded a grant of $700,000 to CAHF to develop a template for the creation and sustainment of volunteer programs in skilled nursing facilities. The CAHF Volunteer Engagement Project will provide a framework for facilities to engage their communities and create a successful and ongoing volunteer program.
Beginning in July 2018, the project will span two and a half years and support the implementation of an intensive pilot volunteer program in 20 skilled nursing facilities in California.
“The presence of a robust volunteer program in a skilled nursing center improves quality of life by providing companionship and individualized activities that are resident-driven,” said Amanda Davidson, volunteer engagement project manager. “The project will identify effective, positive, person-centered practices supported by volunteers and promote them in an idea guide as a resource,” she added.
Windsor Gardens’ participation in the project will begin July 2020 and end December 2020. Two in-person site visits from CAHF staff will occur between those dates.
“Volunteers offer important opportunities for social interaction with our residents,” says Nurit Ruber, Administrator at Windsor Gardens. “Activities that incorporate volunteers are an integral part of bringing the feeling of home to our care centers, and we are excited to have been accepted into the CAHF Volunteer Engagement Project.”
The grant is funded from nursing home fines collected by the California Department of Public Health, Licensing and Certification Division and deposited in a federal Civil Monetary Penalty Fund.
The comprehensive state-specific handbook will be available free to any of California’s 1,250 skilled nursing facilities wishing to implement a successful, sustainable volunteer program.