JGS Honors Eight ‘STEP Ahead’ Graduates

The eight graduates were Rebecca Alston, Helen Dacosta, Nelly Madera, Anna Muriel and Dexsaida Ortiz from Ruth’s House; Lisa Anderson and Lisa Robinson from Spectrum Home Health Care; and Sharon Tether from Wernick Adult Day Health Care Center.

The JGS STEP Ahead program is part of the organization’s ongoing commitment to offering professional development and training opportunities to staff and is available to certified nursing assistants (CNAs), home health aides, and care managers from Ruth’s House, Wernick Adult Day Health Care Center, and Spectrum Home Health Care. The overall goal of the program is to improve quality of care, with the long-term benefit of ensuring that residents, clients, and participants receive the very best in nursing service.

The JGS STEP Ahead program consists of an in-house, 40-hour classroom training curriculum that focuses on such areas as CPR training, advanced clinical skills, understanding dementia, infection control, handling emergency situations, documentation, customer service, patient rights and ethical issues, safety, communication skills, stress management, spirituality, and telemedicine monitoring. The program allows paraprofessionals to increase their expertise level on behalf of the people they care for, increase their compensation level, and become mentors to their co-workers.

The JGS STEP Ahead program was established with the support of the Ruth’s House Family Council, other generous community supporters and Jewish Geriatric Services.

JGS is a health care and residential system of care for elders and their families. Programs operated by JGS subsidiaries include the Julian J. Leavitt Family Jewish Nursing Home, Spectrum Home Health Care, Ruth’s House – An Assisted Living Residence, JGS Family Medical Care, Wernick Adult Day Health Care Center, and Genesis House.