"We can provide a great level of care for every ‘season’
under the sun," commented Raymond Weiss, Mile Bluff's Vice President
and Chief Long-term Care Officer.
Raymond is the newest addition to Mile Bluff's executive team. He was
brought on board to help shape the future of the services offered to those
in search of independent senior living, post-acute care, assisted living,
and long-term/skilled nursing care. "We are fortunate to be able
to provide a continuum of care that includes each of these services,"
stated Raymond. "Having all of these pieces in place allows us to
take care of our community members throughout every phase of their lives."
Healthcare is continually changing, so the approach taken to provide care
has to constantly evolve as well. Many of today's nursing homes were
originally built with the purpose of allowing people to 'age in place'
for long-term care needs. Current trends show that there is a shift toward
the need for more short-term stays after individuals experience joint
replacements, accidents or strokes. "What we need to do as an organization
is to look at our current model of care, and make adjustments to continue
to create the environment that matches our community's need for healing,"
commented Raymond. "Our mission and motto state that we provide healthcare
evolving for life, and that we go beyond expectations today and always.
We need to reflect that throughout our continuum of care."
Ensuring that community members know and see Mile Bluff as a resource is
also a priority for Raymond. "Mile Bluff is a leader in the community.
We're an educational resource and a place for support. We're a
resource for those who are not well. We're a resource for those who
are aging and don't have someone to take care of them in the home."
He continued, "Mile Bluff has a long history of caring for the community.
As an area resident, it's a comfort to know that a resource like that
exists, and that it can be counted on for years to come."
A big part of what brought Raymond back to Wisconsin from Minnesota, was
getting to be closer to his extended family. When asked why he chose to
join the Mile Bluff team, Raymond responded, "It was the culture
I experienced during the interview process…excellence for the sake
of excellence. Also, what I saw was that the experience for our employees
was as important as the experience for our patients. To me that was very
attractive."
According to Raymond, it's just as important to create an exceptional
experience for those being taken care of, as it is to ensure the wellbeing
of those who are providing care at Mile Bluff. "We're fortunate
to have the employee environment we do," commented Raymond. "Mile
Bluff is very intentional about the employee experience. You can't
separate the caregiver experience from the patient experience. We work
on both, so that we can be the regional employer and care provider of
choice."
With a background in biopharmaceutical and medical devices, medical ethics,
moral theology, and both nursing home and healthcare administration, Raymond
has learned one very important lesson that he carries with him to Mile
Bluff: "Above all, we have to focus on the human element of caring
for people. It's about providing both compassionate and progressive
care to create the ideal human experience. I am proud to say that is exactly
what we do here at Mile Bluff."