Community NewsSeniors

Alexandria Mayor and Vice Mayor Visit Woodbine in Recognition of National Skilled Nursing Week

Donna Shaw, (far left) Woodbine’s administrator, holds the mayoral proclamation. With her her are Vice Mayor Amy Jackson, Director of Community Relations for Woodbine Jane Hughes, and Mayor Justin Wilson. (Photo: Lucelle O’Flaherty/The Zebra Press)

ALEXANDRIA, VA – Yesterday Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson and Vice Mayor Amy Jackson visited Woodbine Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center in recognition of National Skilled Nursing Week (May 8-14). The theme for this year’s celebration is “Creating and Nurturing Connections.”

“Skilled nursing centers and their staff,” according to the American Healthcare Association, “provide an incredible and steadfast commitment to a high-level of quality care and quality of life for their residents.”

Woodbine has served the Alexandria community for over five decades, specializing in the care of senior citizens. Its Skilled Nursing Care Team (SNCT) earned Woodbine a five star rating from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, as well as Newsweek’s Best Nursing Home awards for the last three years. (The magazine ranked it first in Virginia in 2021.)

A press release indicates that winners of the prestigious award are determined by an evaluation of “key performance data, peer recommendations and the response to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

During the visit, Wilson read a proclamation, honoring seniors and those who care for them. The full text follows:

                                                            PROCLAMATION

WHEREAS, our community is stronger because we honor and respect our elders, and citizens
of any age with physical or intellectual disabilities, who reside at a skilled nursing or post-acute care center in the City of Alexandria; and
WHEREAS, these citizens have made important contributions to the success and growth of our
City; and
WHEREAS, skilled nursing centers are holding events in observance of National Skilled
Connections for residents and guided by the American Health Care Association. The chosen theme Nursing Care Week May 8 -14, based upon this year’s theme of “Creating and Nurturing for this year celebrates skilled nursing centers, and their residents and staff, by showcasing how they achieve happy minds and healthy souls – this never having been more evident than the last two years
during the pandemic. In addition to protecting and caring for their residents around the clock during a time of limited visitation and social distancing, staff stepped in and served as family members and friends to ensure that residents had the essential social connections they needed; and
WHEREAS, we urge all citizens to visit a loved one, friend, or neighbor being cared for in any
serting and offer a kind word and a personal touch to show your continuing support; and
WHEREAS, the City of Alexandria, Virginia, is committed to quality health care and
continuously improving quality of life. We take this moment to embrace the spirit of “Creating and Nurturing Connections.”
NOW, THEREFORE I, JUSTIN M. WILSON, Mayor of the City of Alexandria, Virginia, and
on behalf of the Alexandria City Council, do hereby declare the week of May 8-14, 2022, as:
“NATIONAL SKILLED NURSING CARE WEEK”
And adopt the theme of: “Creating and Nurturing Connections” as our way of celebrating with vigor. and good times as one way to honor all citizens who reside at a skilled nursing or post-acute care center and the staff that care for them.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the City of
Alexandria to be affixed this 8th day of May, 2022.
JUSTIN M.WILSON MAYOR
On behalf of the City Council
of Alexandria, Virginia

The mayor’s proclamation (Photo: Lucelle O’Flaherty/The Zebra Press)

Woodbine’s campus includes four floors, six specialty units, and 307 beds. Its staff helps residents in the areas of post-hospitalization care, long-term care, and memory care. The resporatory program, in its 30th year, is the only ventilator weaning program in Northern Virginia.

To view video from the mayor and vice mayor’s visit filmed by The Zebra, click HERE.

An Interview With Don Milne, Founder of Stories Behind the Stars

Kevin Dauray

Kevin is Publisher's Assistant with The Zebra Press. He has been working for Alexandria's "Good News" newspaper since 2019. A graduate of George Mason University, he earned a bachelor's in English with a concentration in Creative Writing. He also studied at the Columbia School of Broadcasting and holds a master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Marymount University. He is an alumnus of T.C. Williams High School. Go Titans!

Related Articles

Back to top button