information from Providence Mt.St. Vincent

Providence Mount St. Vincent, a skilled nursing facility in West Seattle, has been selected as one of 30 Washington nursing homes participating in the NICHE Long-Term Care program, specialized training to enhance the quality of care for older adults living in nursing homes. The program runs for three years and is led by NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing’s Nurses Improving Care for Health System Elders (NICHE).  It is funded through a grant from the Washington Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) and has the potential to benefit more than 3,000 Washingtonians living in nursing homes. 

With Americans living longer and facing more complicated medical issues and disabilities as they age, nursing homes are increasingly required to provide more complex services. NICHE is an education and consultation program dedicated to improving the quality of care for older adults and elevating nurse and staff competence in the specialty practice area of geriatric nursing.

Research shows that NICHE organizations have improved patient outcomes, decreased costs, and reduced hospital readmissions, all of which have led to higher satisfaction from older adults and staff.

A core group of nurse leaders from Providence Mount St. Vincent have completed an eight-week NICHE Leadership Training Program. During this program, nurse leaders developed an action plan aimed at improving two clinical care areas that they will implement with the support of NICHE mentors.

Additional nursing staff will complete specialized continuing education courses on the care of older adults. The training and projects focus on health issues that affect older adults, including preventing falls, assessing and managing pain, and identifying depression and dementia.

“As we’ve seen during the COVID crisis, having quality nursing homes is even more critical now than ever. We at Providence Mount St. Vincent pride ourselves for being on the cutting edge of nursing home care and look forward to participating in the NICHE training to continue to be one of the best nursing homes in the region,” said Charlene Boyd, Administrator at Providence Mount St. Vincent.

Providence Mount St. Vincent in West Seattle offers older adults a loving home during the transition from independence to increasing reliance on the services, support, and compassion of others. Providence Mount St. Vincent, nationally recognized as a leader in the practice of resident-centered care and culture change in long-term care, is committed to providing programs and services that respect the personal values and dignity of each resident and program participant. For more information, go to www.providence.org/themount.