Anna Gutjahr is July’s Employee of the Month at Westview Health Care Center. Currently residing in Eastford, CT, Anna is a registered nurse at the Dayville facility where she has worked since 2017. Named in homage to her grandmother Leanna, Annalea was born in Ohio, lived in Maine briefly, spent a decade in Rhode Island, and is now in her fifth year as a Connecticut resident.
The staff at Westview is appreciative of all the steps that brought Anna to their team, evidenced by this Employee of the Month selection among her peers. Her appreciation for the honor extends to an appreciation for all of her allies who helped to grow her skills, as she remarked: “I am so grateful for receiving the Employee of the Month award. I would like to thank my colleagues and supervisors. Their support and encouragement means the world to me. I am lucky to be part of this team, and I am honored to care for the patients and residents at Westview.”
When she is not exercising the strength of her nursing skills Anna enjoys reading, playing with her cat Cal, shopping, and riding and showing horses with John Bennett Stables of Putnam. She proudly works with a horse named Jester, and both are looking forward to showing off at the upcoming Woodstock Fair. Additional quality time is cherished between Anna and her loved ones, including her mother Lori, brother Reid, sister Katy, nephew Grayson, niece Ella, and her boyfriend Tom.
Anna initially joined Westview’s staff as a Certified Nursing Assistant while she was earning her degree as a Registered Nurse from the Community College of Rhode Island. After completing this education she quickly moved into the very important role of “charge nurse,” giving her a large quantity of patient cases to oversee in a given section of the facility. Cultivating strength in this form of superintendence was important training for Anna, as it prepared her for the role she currently holds as the MDS coding nurse. The “Minimum Data Set” (abbreviated as MDS) is the federal system of analyzing patient needs and abilities in a Medicare or Medicaid setting, and it requires a wealth of information to operate and a highly analytical medical professional to put all of those pieces together. Anna possesses all of the aforementioned skills, and she credits her time as a CNA for this proficiency.
Amid her evolution between roles as a CNA, a Charge Nurse, and now MDS Nurse at Westview, Anna always holds onto key pieces learned along the way. Due to the fact that she spent time on the direct-care level she knows the perspective of Nursing Assistants facilitating the activities of daily living, and subsequently, how they document these constantly changing situations. Same goes for her time spent as a Charge Nurse, where the provision of care for a whole wing of the facility was good training for her current responsibility as the monitor of Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement for the entire patient load at Westview. Anna is accountable for reassessing all of Westview’s long-term residents and updating their care plans on a quarterly basis. Like an investigative journalist, she is best informed by going out and gathering information from a variety of sources and consulting with the respective leaders of those departments. She is well-versed in the areas of Dietary Planning, Therapeutic Recreation, Social Work, and even Housekeeping in addition to her strong foundation in Nursing Care.
“Anna demonstrates a work ethic and ambition that is such a natural fit here at Westview,” stated David T. Panteleakos, Administrator. “Alongside our amazing team of health care professionals, Anna is always willing to learn and lead by example.”
Westview Health Care Center is a 103-bed inpatient skilled nursing facility, which includes a distinct and self-contained 28-bed sub-acute short-term rehabilitation unit and outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapies including: Sports Medicine, Adolescent/Pediatric, Adult and Aquatic Outpatient Centers, all dedicated to providing outstanding quality health care services. The facility is located in Dayville, Connecticut and is ranked among the top nursing facilities in the nation according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service; and U.S. News and World Report for the past 10 years.
This June, Westview Health Care Center has selected Alana Krasley as the Employee of the Month. . . .(more)
Within the space to which they generously donate their time and efforts, the Volunteers of Westview Health Care Center. . . .(more)
Almost every employee of Westview in the last twenty-two years will know Jill Blain. Not only is she well known,. . . .(more)
The start of summer still may be a few weeks out, but nothing quite signifies the impending kick-off of summer. . . .(more)
If you or your loved one would like more information or to take a tour of the facility, we invite you to a closer look at Westview Health Care Center.
Please contact our Resident Services office at 860-774-8574
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Westview Health Care Center