Pine Grove: A Real-Life Culture of Care

_{November 29, 2018}
NOTE: This story was taken from the blog of Foundations Health leader, Bob Speelman. Each week Bob works at one of his facilities in order to better learn what it means for Foundations Health to be "A Culture of Care."

My STNA journey this week took me to Pine Grove, our 67-bed nursing home in Geneva. Brandi Franklin is the administrator at Pine Grove and her love and passion for her residents and staff is contagious! I’ve often asked myself what will it look like at a facility when we achieve our goal of creating a “Culture of Care,” and the answer is Pine Grove! Brandi has the right people in the right places, doing the right things for the right reasons. They are a team where everyone knows their role and their worth. At pine grove, no position is any more, or less, important than another.

I had the amazing privilege of working alongside Crystal Brown, an STNA and administrative aide at Pine Grove. Crystal has been an STNA for 15 years and told me she does what she does, because she loves caring for people. Crystal is 40 years old. She began dating her husband, Chad, when she was 15. They have four boys, whose ages are 23, 20, 13, and 5. Her oldest son is a respiratory therapist at Rainbow Children’s Hospital in Cleveland.

As Crystal and I began doing rounds I was struck by the smiles on each employee’s face, and the teamwork I was witnessing. Crystal introduced me to every team member we passed. “Bob, this is Pam, she’s been here for 30 years,” “Bob, this is Cathy, she’s been here for 33 years.” The length of service for the employees blew me away.

As we worked together, Crystal told me that this summer, Brandi took the entire staff out for kayaking and dinner. It was staggered in such a way that everyone who wanted to attend could be a part of it. Crystal went on and on about how much fun they all had. I was so impressed with how Brandi loved and lead her team. Crystal said, “We are family here - residents and staff.”

The interesting thing about all this is that Pine Grove is one of our most consistent buildings financially. It goes to show you that when you get the culture right, residents and staff are happy, and the numbers take care of themselves.

“Employees who believe that management is concerned about them as a whole person – not just an employee – are more productive, more satisfied, more fulfilled. Satisfied employees mean satisfied customers, which leads to profitability.”
- Anne M. Mulcahy, CEO of Xerox

When it came time to take the picture for the blog, there was no other option in my mind but to get a picture with the entire team. I wanted you all to see what a “Culture of Care” looks like. Thank you Brandi, Crystal, and the entire team at Pine Grove. I truly had a wonderful time with you and left there more excited than ever about our company and our culture.


Bob Speelman, STNA

Bob's Blog