The Westview News

Press Release
Licata Earns Employee of the Month
Date
April 1st, 2022

     Kathleen Licata has been acknowledged as Westview Health Care Center’s March Employee of the Month. Cherished by residents, patients, and colleagues alike, Kathleen performs her role as a Certified Nursing Assistant at Westview with excellence. She began working at the Dayville skilled nursing facility in November 2020 and looks ahead to a bright future in providing care to those in need. She declares that she has always wanted to work in the medical field; holding an interest to be a health care provider since she was young. Kathleen earned her CNA certification from Quinebaug Valley Community College and will soon further her skills at Lincoln Technical Institute in Rhode Island. While continuing to work as a CNA, she will enrich her professional development by beginning coursework to become a Licensed Practical Nurse this spring.

     While growing up in Union Beach, NJ, Kathleen developed an early interest in all forms of mechanical engineering. She lists cars, trucks and motorcycles as some of her hobbies, and she credits that fascination for inspiring her to work in medicine: the understanding of the inner workings of machines and human bodies captivates her professional pursuits to this day. Kathleen moved to CT in 2009 with her family, thereby shortening the distance to visit her grandmother. The Licata family share an immensely close bond and devote great efforts to support each other. She thanks her mother and father, Kathleen and Anthony, for providing her with keen senses of direction and purpose in life.

     Kathleen now shares that same guidance with her daughter Viviana. While the serious aspects of life are elemental in her motherhood, Kathleen and Viviana make sure to use their imaginations frequently to expand their ambitions in life. Some of their favorite playtime activities include fashionable dress-up sessions and playing “doctor”; inventing medical situations that they solve together. Kathleen refers to her daughter Viviana as her whole world. She states that her relationship with her daughter is a central motivation to pursuing further education and becoming an LPN, and she wants to exemplify to Viviana that you can accomplish any goal at any age. Kathleen is adamant that there is no limit to anyone’s potential and she looks forward to showcasing this determination to her whole family.

     The dedication Kathleen shows to the residents that she cares for and her camaraderie with her colleagues are key motivations for her. Kathleen loves coming to Westview each day that she is scheduled because she knows that she will see an abundance of smiling faces. She appreciates all of her roles and responsibilities with residents and patients at Westview; assisting them as they begin the day while encouraging as much laughter and happiness as possible in the process. “I love doing what I do as a nursing care provider, and I love making people laugh whenever I can,” Kathleen commented. “I appreciate every day that I have been here at Westview and I look forward to learning even more about providing care for patients in a skilled nursing setting. My experience here affirms my belief that small steps in the right direction can turn out to be the biggest step of your life.”

     In the setting of Westview Health Care Center, the delivery of medical care, provision of healthy nutrition, and development of engaging recreational activity are some of the paramount needs that the staff dedicate in their work. When that can be done at the highest level while simultaneously maintaining good humor, everyone notices the positive impact that it has. Westview Administrator David T. Panteleakos has certainly observed these traits in Kathleen, remarking: “I have great respect for Kathleen’s professional talents as a CNA at Westview, and I have shared many smiles with her and our residents in lighter moments. Knowing that she applies laughter as medicine gives me confidence that we are treating our residents and patients with every possible way of improving their lives. Congratulations to Kathleen!”

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 13 years.