The Westview News

Press Release
Employee of the Month!
Date
June 16, 2022

     Laurie Plantier, LPN earned the praise of the May Employee of the Month award at Westview Health Care Center. A Licensed Practical Nurse, Laurie takes great care in providing skilled nursing treatment for the patients in her care. Her compassion for helping in healing is devout: she strives to improve the lives of all those around her, through both her professional and personal experiences. Laurie holds multiple degrees and certifications across various healthcare pursuits. She started at Westview as a CNA in 1989 and worked at the Dayville skilled nursing facility for about 12 years. In that time, she went on to earn her Practical Nursing certificate from Windham Technical School, and a Phlebotomy certificate from Quinebaug Valley Community College. Laurie decided to pursue a different challenge after this time at Westview, and went back to school with her lifelong love of animals in mind. Laure then earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Veterinary Science from Becker College, and she has worked at several animal clinics in Connecticut’s quiet corner.

     Laurie enjoys the science of healthcare and considers herself a proponent of natural caregiving. She feels the need to take care of others, whether two-legged, four-legged, or otherwise. At many times, she has found that a lot of animal care and human care overlaps under the same premise and approach. Non-verbal communication is often required when caring for people, and it is always required when caring for animals. Laurie forms many of her medical plans by reading body language as an essential building block for the care. She likes to describe her life and her career as a book, and sensed it was time to turn to another chapter and return to explore additional opportunities in nursing. Due to a personal connection in her life, she felt especially compelled to do more as a health care provider and learn as much as she could about medicine.

     Laurie’s return to Licensed Practical Nursing required her to review her knowledge and skills; accomplished by completing some specific educational and clinical course work. She greatly appreciates that she was able to work with Westview to fulfill her clinical hours necessary for the license renewal. Returning after this time away from the facility, she instantly felt comfortable in such an acquainted setting. She was especially delighted to see so many familiar faces working at Westview from her previous time there, and how many of them who started out together as young nurses have grown into their own elevated positions. After renewing her Practical Nursing License, Laurie resumed caring for patients in the skilled nursing setting of Westview. At the same time, enhancing her knowledge and skills to learn more about breakthrough treatments by working towards a degree from Three Rivers Community College as a Registered Nurse. She is especially interested in learning to perform infusion medicine, developing even greater wound care methods, and how to perform more advanced technical treatments.

     Away from Westview, Laurie adores her cats and likes to take time to birdwatch; especially loving the sight of raptors. Some of her aviary highlights include the observation a nest of fledgling hawks that was in her backyard, and the recent sighting of a bald eagle. She is an avid reader, enjoying crime and mystery novels as well as educational journals and science magazines. As an exercise to keep her mind active, she loves to do puzzles and word searches. Laurie finds that word searches are especially helpful in training her brain to find the information she seeks on medical charts. There is great affection felt by Laurie towards her family; considering her mother to be her greatest supporter, and enjoying as much time as possible with her niece Mariah and her great-niece, Freya.

     In being appreciated for Westview Health Care Center’s Employee of the Month award, Laurie remarked about her own appreciation for the facility and her colleagues there. “Thank you to the team at Westview for acknowledging my strong points and for supporting me in my role. It’s a good feeling to know I’m part of a team that acknowledges the efforts we all take to provide the best care for our residents and patients.”

     Westview Administrator David T. Panteleakos has enjoyed seeing Laurie’s career evolution and praises her pursuits in the health care industry. “Laurie knows so much about patient care from many years in the skilled nursing industry, and she carries intellectual curiosity with her through all of her professional efforts.” Mr. Panteleakos continued to comment: “We are so glad to have her back on our team at Westview, and we share in her enthusiasm for becoming a Registered Nurse. Congratulations to Laurie!”

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 14 years.