Implementing Quality First Successfully

Name:		Jerry W. Brown, RHPF
Title:		Executive Director
Organization:		Bethany Center Senior Housing, Inc.
Location:		San Francisco, CA
Phone:		415-821-4515 (x.11)
E-mail:		jbrown@bethanycenter.org

Describe the process of getting your Board's support for QF.
It was a "no brainer" because we wanted to be able to articulate a consistent message of our philosophy with that of our fellow AAHSA members—the board loved the process and it was good timing since we were in the midst of a 10- and 15-year long-range plan.

Have you reviewed the information on the QF Web site?
Yes, I believe it is excellent. We have used all of the tools and found them helpful.

Does your organization have a QF leader... an individual or committee?
Individual: Due to our size it is me, Executive Director in conjunction with our Administration Manager who is also our Corporate Compliance Officer. Since 99% of the "check off list" for our annual Corporate Compliance Review is QF related—it made sense that she and I work together on it. Our Board President has taken on a strong advocacy role for QF also.

What has been the role of the following with QF in your organization? Have they...

1. been informed about QF? CEO, Mgmt., Other Staff, Board, Residents
2. completed the Self-Study? CEO, Mgmt., Other Staff, Board, Residents
3. reviewed Self-Study results? CEO, Mgmt., Other Staff, Board, Residents
4. had a role in implementing QF? CEO, Mgmt., Other Staff, Board, Residents
5. other role? CEO, Mgmt., Other Staff, Board, Residents

If your organization completed the QF Self-Study, was it helpful?
Yes-it made us aware of a need for a Corporate Compliance Plan—which after a 12-month process, we were able to incorporate.

Has your organization developed an action plan to focus on improvements in one or more of the QF Elements of Quality?
Yes, our first 18 months has been on "Governance"—identifying responsibilities in our HUD Regulatory Agreement and preparing for a Management Review by our Project-Based Contract Administration (PBCA). As part of this, we took on with the help of a multi-facility AAHSA Member (Northern California Presbyterian Homes and Services) and our attorney the task of writing and incorporating a Corporate Compliance Plan that was relative to our size and philosophy of business. Bethany Center will receive the state (CAHSA) Quality First Award 2005 for producing the Corporate Compliance Plan (since it is not required of HUD funded facilities or small business)—at their annual meeting this year. Next, we began to "tell our story" in our newsletter and on our website (www.bethanycenter.org) about the "Leading Edge Care" that we do. Right now, we are working on Community Involvement—by incorporating the QF Logo onto our web site, stationary and marketing materials. We have also included a section in our Employee Handbook and Resident Handbook about QF and our commitment. I have also shared QF with three state legislators.

Has your organization done anything to get public recognition (with your residents/clients; consumers; policymakers; media) for your QF accomplishments?
Yes, we are to be given the "Quality First Award 2005" by the California Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (CAHSA).

Has QF been beneficial to your organization in improving quality?
Yes, I believe it has created a "open door policy" like none other before—while we always said we were honest and upfront about our weaknesses and strengths—we are now vocalizing and documenting them more—and learning from our experiences and holding each other accountable.

What has been the most beneficial and challenging aspects of QF for your organization?
Most Beneficial: The excitement about telling our story and the pride all levels of our organization feel.
Most Challenging: Identifying the benchmarks. We have really only begun with our programs and financials. We plan to include QF benchmarking in annual employee performance evaluations.

Would you say that you have been able to integrate QF into your ongoing operations, or is it viewed as "something else to do"?
The integration was a natural part of our long-range plan. QF actually helped us create the process for the plan and established some of its criteria. We truly appreciated our "inner look"—where most people learned at least one thing "new" about our organization that they didn't know we were doing, and were pleased with our work. Or it made them aware of something they felt we should be doing and were not.

How have you responded to those who said QF was "something else to do"?
I believe what we teach at Bethany Center—i.e. aging—is about "lifelong learning," and Bethany Center wants to be ahead of the curve.

Have you budgeted staff or financial resources to your QF efforts, or are the time/costs integrated into your other work?
The Corporate Compliance Plan cost about $6K and was budgeted—the other was just good timing and some overtime. When updating policies and procedures manuals, it is always tedious and printing costs these days are not cheap. It actually led us to decide to "contract out" the printing of manuals to a Hong Kong Printing Company that will get the job done in half the time and at a 60% savings in cost over other bidders.

Looking ahead a year, what do you see as the biggest opportunity for your organization with respect to QF?
We will be developing a senior program modeled after Mather Lifeways of Chicago Café Plus. Also our board decided that we have a great model of supportive housing that should be replicated, so they have focused on changing the board from a Community Board to a Fundraising Board—to generate funds to build additional units.

What type of care and/or services does your organization provide?
While we are legally "Independent Living"—we truly have a supportive housing model in place through contracts with community services that allow people to age with choice and stay at Bethany Center until they die (hospice)—this is through residents who need skilled nursing contracting with our local On-Location Senior Health PACE site.

Members have voiced several reasons for not signing the QF Covenant, including: We already run a quality organization; we don't want to expose ourselves to greater liability; we can't afford it; we're too busy. What would you say to encourage these members to sign the QF Covenant?
Most importantly, it is crucial for advocacy purposes that public policy makers hear a consistent message. AAHSA members do good works that change people's lives everyday, and we need to take pride in that and in those we serve. So the real liability is in NOT committing to the people we serve. They want a quality product that ensures we are listening to them, and our devotion to QF shows we care.