Experience healing compassion and above average care at Ivy Court

A leading provider of skilled nursing care, Ivy Court is located in the heart of Coeur d’Alene.

Ivy Court’s rehabilitation and nursing teams are dedicated to helping you heal and meet your health care goals, whether you require short-term rehabilitation to get you back on your feet or a higher level of care for a chronic illness or condition.

“The key to our success is within our staff,” said Patrick McNabb, Ivy Court’s executive director. “All the staff at Ivy Court make a significant difference in the healing process of our residents. There is a genuine love and compassion they have.”

The culture of kindness at Ivy Court creates a warm, home-like environment where people are able to heal quickly and return to living independently at home.

“We really focus on putting needs of the patients above everything else,” McNabb said.

That compassion plays a significant role in wound care at Ivy Court.

“We’ve had a lot of success with healing wounds at a much higher rate than the national average,” said Christina Lockett, director of nursing.

Ivy Court consults weekly with specialists to provide team-centered wound care with encouragement and education.

The national average time for a wound to heal is 67 days, while at Ivy Court, the average is just 25 days.

Above average care

For several years, Ivy Court has maintained a five-star rating from the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Based on criteria that determines how well a center is caring for its residents’ physical and clinical needs, the five-star rating is the highest awarded to nursing centers by the federal agency. It is bestowed only upon centers that are well above average.

Ivy Court also received high marks from U.S. News and World Report, which ranked the center a top-performing, best skilled nursing center for 2018.

And the accolades continue, closer to home.

Ivy Court was named the Best Skilled Nursing Community in North Idaho for 2018 by the North Idaho Business Journal, a designation earned by receiving the most votes from local consumers.

Nursing director Lockett said Ivy Court is special for many reasons, but one of the things that makes it stand out is McNabb, the executive director.

“He’s one of the most accessible administrators I’ve ever seen in this industry, and the residents and the staff can go to him at any time,” Lockett said. “He’s very approachable and accessible.”

McNabb credits the staff with making Ivy Court comfortable and home-like, and a great place to heal.

“We also appreciate our medical providers: Dr. S. Melchiore, medical director; and from Heritage Health, Heather King, nurse practitioner; the medical assistants and Dr. Meza; for their contribution,” McNabb said.

He said when he spends time with Ivy Court’s residents, they express their gratitude for the care they receive.

Cardiac care

Ivy Court’s wide spectrum of rehabilitation and nursing services now includes expert care for people recovering from cardiac events.

The center’s interdisciplinary approach to cardiac rehabilitation offers a program of exercise, education and a heart-healthy diet. The program is designed to help you or your loved one return to optimal fitness and function following a cardiac event like a heart attack or surgery.

“That’s really what our goal is here, to get people on the road to recovery so they can transition to an outpatient program,” said Kellie Blevins, Ivy Court’s rehabilitation director.

Using the same cardiac telemetry tools found in hospitals, Ivy Court’s rehabilitation specialists and nurses will monitor your cardiac responses to exercise and activity and provide your cardiologist with the information needed to determine the best course of care for you.

Cardiac care at the center is overseen by health care professionals who are knowledgeable in treating cardiac issues.

Before coming to Ivy Court, Blevins worked in outpatient cardiac rehabilitation in a hospital in southern California. Every member of her rehabilitation staff has received certification in advanced cardiac life support (ACLS). Lockett, director of nursing, worked with cardiology patients at Kootenai Health, as did her resident care manager at Ivy Court. Both are ACLS-certified. Lockett’s nurses have all received specialty training in cardiac care.

McNabb, the center’s executive director, is a former paramedic with extensive experience in helping cardiac patients.

Ivy Court’s care team is committed to positioning people for the best physical and emotional success at home and in their outpatient therapies, without hospital readmission.

Ivy Court’s cardiac program also benefits from the expertise of top cardiologists in the area, and an advisory board that includes some of these heart specialists along with physicians, a medical director, nurses and dietitians.

Caring for those who have served

North Idaho’s men and women who have served their country can receive skilled nursing care and rehabilitation close to home, thanks to Ivy Court.

Ivy Court is the only skilled nursing center in Coeur d’Alene that contracts with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to care for those who have served in the military.

The center’s staff members work closely with VA personnel to provide, in addition to expert care, special recognitions for Ivy Court’s residents who are veterans.

“We take great pride in serving those who served for us,” said McNabb.