OGDEN — By a growing number of measures, the care provided by the George E. Wahlen Ogden Veterans Home leads the nation in quality.
From the federal government's report card of nursing homes, ratings by industry associations and independent customer service evaluations, the 120-bed state facility receives some of the highest rankings nationwide.
Ray Briggs has lived at the veterans home for three years. Ask him to assess the facility, the Vietnam-era veteran thoughtfully pauses then replies, "It's home. I've loved it ever since I got here."
For one thing, the state-owned nursing home is immaculately clean and well maintained, he says.
Everyone - from the top administrators, health care providers to the housekeeping staff - "is very professional." Depending on the day, the food ranges from "good" to "excellent."
When patients want something different to eat or a new way to recreate, the administration takes the resident council's recommendation's to heart, agreeing to changes to the menu or adding a place to play horseshoes.
"There it is," says Briggs, pointing to the horseshoes court from an interior window.
Kim Wixon, state officer with the Department of Veterans and Military Affairs, says the Ogden veterans home "does such an incredible job with my veterans."
Wixon, who served 20 years in the Army, oversees Utah's four state veterans homes. All four veterans homes - Ogden's, one attached to the Veterans Administration campus in Salt Lake City, one in Payson and another in Ivins - have earned five-star CMS ratings, Wixon said. CMS stands for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
The CMS rating system measures Medicare beneficiaries experiences with their health plans and health care system.
Each of the state's veterans homes is operated by Avalon Health Care Group. While it has contracts to run all of them it was not a package deal, Wixon said. Avalon had to win contracts with each facility separately.
"Avalon really believes in taking care of the veterans and doing everything they need to do for them," Wixon said. "They prepare for every day like it's a survey day. I don't know where Pete (Zeigler, Ogden administrator) has been able to find them or where Avalon finds them, but these people are the best in the world, they really are," he said.
This week, Zeigler will travel to Nashville to accept a Silver Award from the American Health Care Association, the nation's largest association of long-term and post-acute care providers.
"The award recognizes providers across the nation that have demonstrated their commitment to improving quality of care for residents and patients," an association press release states.
This is the second award the veteran's home has received from the national association, the first a Bronze Award. George E. Wahlen Ogden Veterans Homes is shooting for the top award next, Zeigler said, noting he believes it is an achievable goal given his employees' commitment to quality and genuine concern for veterans.
"It's a very diverse group of veterans, a diverse staff. We're all here for the same unified purpose of serving veterans," said Zeigler, who is an Avalon employee.
Some employees and many volunteers have military connections, which further explains their commitment. Zeigler's father is a veteran and he has received short-term rehabilitation services at the Ogden veterans home after knee replacement surgery.
Zeigler has worked at a number of nursing homes in Utah and out of state. Each has its own personality and strengths. Veterans homes are unique in that they serve far more men than women and the programming is different, he said.
Occasionally, the veterans home hosts fishing and hunting trips for patients. Adjustments have been made to menus as patients have asked administrators for more dishes with beef.
To help keep patients engaged, the facility has six events coordinators, he said.
The veterans home also was awarded the 2016 HealthInsight Quality Award for demonstrating excellence in health care. HealthInsight is a community-based collaborative that works improve health and health care for patients and providers.
With 235 employees serving the 120-bed facility (each patient has a private room), staffing levels are higher than most similarly sized nursing homes, which is due to state support and the breadth of services offered at the state's veterans homes.
In addition to veterans, the veterans home also serves qualifying spouses of veterans and Gold Star parents, through a variety of funding mechanisms.
Avalon places a high premium on staff training, which gives employees confidence they are providing the best care possible. An adequate level of state support enables staff to provide a level of care they can be proud of, Zeigler said.
"The No. 1 thing that makes us special is our veterans, it's our residents. The staff being able to provide the type of care they feel they deserve, that makes them want to work here," Zeigler said.
The same is true of the state's other three veterans homes, he said.
"This is a success story for veterans homes. This is a success story for veterans," Zeigler said.
Email: marjorie@deseretnews.com