The Good Samaritan Society – Woodland in Brainerd, Minn., was one of 72 long term care organizations, the only dual skilled nursing center/assisted living community, and the only recipient in Minnesota to be recognized with a 2023 Silver Achievement in Quality Award by the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL). The National​ Quality Awards Program recognizes long term care organizations that meet progressively rigorous standards of performance. ​The Woodland team and other Silver recipients can now move on to the Gold Excellence in Quality Award, the final and most prestigious of the three distinct milestones ​in the program. In 2018, Good Samaritan Society – Woodland received the Bronze award, the first level of the program.

Kelsey Moulzolf, administrator of Good Samaritan Society – Woodland, shares the inspiration behind the commitment to strive for continuous quality improvement excellence and offers advice on taking the next step in the Quality Award journey.

Tell us about Good Samaritan Society – Woodland.

We have 40 nursing home beds and 135 assisted living apartments in north-central Minnesota. Our Woodland campus offers accessible walking paths within a park-like setting. We provide senior care, wellness services, and amenities for our residents and their families to enjoy a high quality of life and care tailored to their needs. Best of all are our amazing residents and team. I’m proud to work alongside the hardest working, most passionate team. 

How did you start your career in long term care?

I started as a CNA (certified nursing assistant) throughout high school and college in my hometown of Pierz, Minn. After college I was not sure where I wanted to go within health care. I received a job as an activity director at an assisted living facility, and I loved it. I was accepted into the Good Samaritan Society’s Administrators-in-Training Program. I started out in St. James as the administrator and here I am today in Brainerd.

What did it mean to your team to be recognized with a Bronze Award?

I’ve talked with staff and leaders involved in the bronze application process, and it means a lot to the staff that they received bronze and now silver! When we received the Bronze Award, we passed out bronze pins for all staff to wear, and they loved it. Everyone really appreciated the hard work that was put into the process. 

What are the lessons learned from working on the silver application?

Working on the silver application helped us understand our quality process, not only for the Woodland campus, but throughout the Society of Good Sam campuses. It helped us find ways we could improve our quality, and in other areas, it reinforced why our quality is so good. It helped me find bigger meaning in why we have the policies and procedures we have in place. 

How did you get started on silver?

We started our application process late. Summer kind of flew by, and in August 2022 we made the decision we were going to apply for silver. We got together as a team, which included the director of nursing, the assisted living director, our quality assurance and performance improvement coordinator, and me. We met once a week, and even twice and three times a week closer to the deadline. We used the Quality Award resources, watched the videos, and brainstormed how we were going to answer the questions. We also identified our processes, procedures, and policies during these discussions. We put a lot of time and effort into it, and it made a difference.

What advice would you give to other organizations?

Applying is worth it. It not only teaches you as an administrator about your policies and procedures in the building in general, but it teaches your leaders, like your director of nursing and assisted living director. It’s important for them to know that the process and procedures at your center work.

My big piece of advice is to involve your team and do not wait. Do not wait to get started on your application. Start the process as soon as possible. The deadline approaches much faster than you think!

Visit ahcancal.org/QualityAward to share your story and submit your 2024 applications.

Andrea Todd is the director, public affairs at the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living.​