ST. GEORGE — Pinnacle Quality Insight recently honored 10 Southern Utah providers of long-term or post-acute care with their 2017 Customer Experience Award.

According to the Pinnacle Quality Insight website, the Customer Experience Award was established “to ensure that every resident/patient receives exceptional assistance from his or her provider.” The award is based on monthly surveys conducted by Pinnacle, and for 2017, the following Southern Utah providers were honored with the award:

• Alpha Home Health Care Southern Utah, St. George.
• Coral Desert Rehabilitation and Care, St. George.
• Dixie Home Rehab, St. George.
• Garfield Memorial Hospital, Panguitch.
• Hurricane Rehab Center, Hurricane.
• Iron County Nursing Home, Parowan.
• Red Cliffs Health and Rehab, St. George.
• Rocky Mountain Home Care of St. George, St. George.
• Seasons Health and Rehab, St. George.
• Southern Utah Veterans Home, Ivins.

In an attempt to offer potential patients and residents the most comprehensive information when choosing a facility, Pinnacle has several different categories for the Customer Experience Award, ranging from Activities and Admission Process to Safety and Security.

For a complete list of all Utah facilities that were given the 2017 Customer Experience Award and their subsequent categories, click here.

This is the sixth year Coral Desert Rehabilitation and Care has received the award, and marketing executive Chris Mertlich said they were honored to receive the award again 2017.

“It shows us achieving best in class customer satisfaction from a third party,” Mertlich said. “It’s a big deal. We’re honored that our patients, they would give feedback for our facility so we can show we’re a high class facility, giving the best customer experience as well as quality rehab and care.”

Coral Desert Rehabilitation and Care was given the award in two categories: Professional Therapy Services and Safety and Security.

Iron County Nursing Home has also received the award for the past six years in a wide variety of categories. This year, they received the award in the Activities category.

“We are super proud of our employees and the care that we give,” Penny Yardley, director of nursing for the facility, said. “I think it really speaks to the quality of our staff and the quality of work that they put out and just how they much they love our residents.”

Red Cliffs Health and Rehab has received the award two years in a row. The distinction was awarded for the category of Professional Therapy Services. Dawn Kliarsky, facility rehab director, said she was overjoyed to receive the award with the therapy team for the past two years.

“This (Pinnacle) is an independent company that surveys patients after we have discharged them, so of course they feel safe to give whatever comments they would like,” Kliarsky said. “I am also very proud that our therapy team is viewed so highly by the patients and their families. I’m grateful every day that I go to work at this facility and watch the kindness and patience every one here shows to patients who are in some pretty tough situations.”

Seasons Health and Rehab has also been honored two years in a row. In 2017, they were given the award in 9 categories:

• Cleanliness.
• Communication from Facility.
• Dignity and Respect.
• Dining Service.
• Individual Needs.
• Nursing Care.
• Overall Customer Experience.
• Professional Therapy Services.
• Response to Problems.

“We’re very proud of the service that we deliver,” facility administrator Jeremy Frehner said. “Hands down, (we have) the best staff in town. We’re so proud of them and the work they deliver.”

Southern Utah Veterans Home in Ivins has been given the award four years in a row. This year, the veterans home was given the award in 14 categories.

“One of the great things I love about the Veteran’s Home, and I think it’s part of our quality performance with Pinnacle, is the activities and recreation that we provide,” Vie Van Noy, director of community relations, said. “We don’t just focus on quality of care, but we focus on quality of life.”

In addition to the Activities category, Southern Utah Veterans Home was awarded in the following categories:

• Activities.
• Admission Process.
• Cleanliness.
• Communication from Facility.
• Dignity and Respect.
• Dining Service.
• Individual Needs.
• Nursing Care.
• Overall Customer Experience.
• Overall Satisfaction.
• Professional Therapy Services.
• Recommend to Others.
• Response to Problems.
• Safety and Security.

St. George News reporter Ric Wayman contributed to this report.

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