Our Porter McGrath Health Center Earns Florida’s Gold Seal Award

Florida Presbyterian Homes’ Porter-McGrath Health Center has received the coveted state of Florida Gold Seal Award for Nursing Homes for the third time. The award was granted August 1, 2008 by the Gold Seal Panel of Excellence in Long Term Care.

Implemented in 2002, the Gold Seal recognizes Florida nursing centers that exhibit excellence in care management and quality of life for their residents, marking nursing homes of the highest caliber. Currently, of the 687 nursing homes in Florida, only 18 have Gold Seal status. Florida Presbyterian Homes’ Porter-McGrath Health Facility is one of only five nursing centers in Florida to receive the Gold Seal award three times.

While continually enhancing quality of care, Florida Presbyterian Homes’ (FPHI) has sharpened its focus on improving residents’ quality of life. Last year, FPHI introduced “culture change” to remove the institutional feel of a long-term care center.

“It’s about creating a place to live, rather than simply a place to receive physical care,” explained Executive Director John Hehn.

Culture change challenges the notion that when you have many people to care for, it can only be done in a regimented manner. Porter McGrath residents choose when to get up and when to go to bed. They decide when to eat and when and how often to bathe and which activities to pursue. Most importantly, they become actively involved in the activities of daily life once again. Steak dinners, dining outside, ordering take-out, indulging in spa baths, and receiving music therapy are among some of the new changes.

“Culture change is about continuing the self-determination that comes with being an adult,” Hehn added. “It is about bringing the joy, social interactions, and daily inspirations, into long-term care communities.”