(Wheeler) – Health care staff shortages have become a chronic problem across the country and nowhere is the challenge of staffing health care facilities more pressing than in rural Oregon. Yet, thanks to a generous competitive grant from the Oregon Community Foundation (OCF), the Nehalem Valley Care Center in Wheeler has received valuable financial assistance to establish its own in-house nurse aide training program.
The $15,000 grant is supplied from OCF’s “Better Nursing Home Care Fund” that is designed to improve senior health care and the overall quality of life in Oregon nursing homes.
“This important funding will allow us to jump start our program and begin immediately training certified nursing assistants in our own building,” said Erica Knepper, RN, of Canyon Wren Consulting who provides nurse training and consulting services to the Care Center.
The Care Center offers long-term skilled nursing care, as well as skilled rehabilitation services from its facility in Wheeler. The Care Center is one of the few such facilities on the Oregon coast, and the only skilled nursing facility between Astoria and Newport. The Care Center employs registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, certified nursing assistants, certified medication aides, and personal care assistants who provide 24-hour, day in and day out care to patients.
Nehalem Valley Care Center employs approximately 45 staff members, half of those in the nursing department. Certified nursing assistants tend to be the most difficult position to recruit and therefore an in-house training program will allow the Care Center to help local talent pursue a career in healthcare. The goal is to have five enrollees in the first class, and the center will schedule further sessions as the need arises. The facility will also continue to partner with Tillamook Bay Community College’s nursing assistant program in order to help serve the healthcare community at large.
The Care Center is actively recruiting staff for a variety of positions that offer competitive salaries and benefits for important careers with a focus on helping others.
The Care Center is owned by the Nehalem Bay Health District and operated under a management agreement with Canyon Wren Consulting, an Oregon nursing home management provider.
The health district will soon announce plans to undertake a major renovation and modernization of the Care Center in the interest of enhancing care and overall patient experience.
For more information on the skilled nursing facility and employment opportunities visit the Care Center website.