The Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs is pleased to announce that one of its state veterans homes is slated to receive national recognition. The Bill Nichols State Veterans Home in Alexander City was one of four Alabama nursing homes that will receive the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) 2019 Silver – Achievement in Quality Award.

The award is the second of three distinctions possible through the AHCA National Quality Award Program, which spotlights providers across the nation that have demonstrated their dedication to improving quality of care for residents and patients in long term and post-acute care. The Tut Fann (Huntsville), the William F. Green (Bay Minette) and the Col. Robert L. Howard (Pell City) State Veterans Homes have all previously received the AHCA Bronze Award and are working toward the Silver Award.

“We are honored to receive the award recognizing the home’s efforts in providing quality care to the veterans of Alabama,” Kathryn Fuller, director of the home, said. “It’s rewarding to be recognized with a prestigious quality award that exemplifies the standards that guide what we do every day. Every person working at Bill Nichols has made a commitment to quality, and I am proud of them for following through on their commitment.”

The AHCA’s National Quality Award Program challenges nursing home providers to achieve performance excellence through three progressive levels—Bronze, Silver, and Gold. At the Silver level, members develop and demonstrate effective approaches that help improve organizational performance and health care outcomes.

According to the AHCA/NCAL website: “At the Silver Award level, applicants continue to learn and develop effective approaches that help improve performance and health care outcomes. The Silver criteria, based on the Baldrige Excellence Framework, provide applicants with a thorough assessment of how their organization works, its effectiveness, and tools for improvement in their approaches. The Silver level gives a clear pathway for recipients moving to the highest honor of recognition, the Gold – Excellence in Quality Award.”

The 2019 Silver National Quality Awards will be presented at AHCA/NCAL’s 70th Convention and Expo in in Orlando, Florida on October 15, 2019.