Going for the gold

COEUR d'ALENE - When Troy Thayne came on board eight months ago as administrator at LaCrosse Health & Rehabilitation center, he was struck by the building at 210 W. Lacrosse Ave.

It looked old.

He thought to himself, "it's got to be old inside."

Wrong.

It was bright, cheery and welcoming, with a modern design.

"When I saw how well maintained it was, I was really impressed Thayne said Thursday.

"As you will see, it's neat, it's clean, it's not the Taj Mahal but it's certainly a comfortable environment," he said to about 25 staffers and citizens. "We're very proud of that."

LaCrosse Health & Rehabilitation has another reason to boast.

The center, which employs about 120 and has about 85 clients, was awarded a Bronze Quality award from the American Health Care Association.

The National Quality Awards are presented annually by the ACHE and National Center for Assisted Living to recognize long-term care providers that demonstrate excellence in performance.

LaCrosse celebrated Thursday with a ceremony, a few short speeches, tours and a buffet for staff and guests.

It was one of almost 400 nationwide to receive the award.

Legends Park Assisted Living Community in Coeur d'Alene also earned the bronze award "for demonstrating its commitment to improving its care and services to meet the highest expectations and standards."

"We are honored to be recognized with the Bronze Quality Award, which exemplifies our commitment to provide compassionate care from the heart," said Legends Park Executive Director Mary Beth Hassle.

It is planning a celebration ceremony at 1 p.m. Thursday.

Thayne said the award is important. The bronze honor is described as a "Commitment to Quality. Applicants begin their quality journey by developing an organizational profile including vision and mission statement, an awareness of their environment and customers' expectations, and a demonstration of their ability to improve a process."

Thayne said any business can claim it provides the best service.

"This is one way we can demonstrate whether it's true or not," he said. "That's really our goal. Provide great customer service value for our clients."

Mayor Sandi Bloem praised LaCrosse for its efforts, and looked forward to returning as it continued to excel and earn silver, then gold, honors from AHCA.

"You certainly are part of the city of excellence," she said.