Wartburg Vice President and Nursing Home Administrator Selected as Fellow in a National Aging-Services Leadership Program

LeadingAge has selected Paula Ress from Wartburg in Mt. Vernon, NY as a member of its 2016 Leadership Academy program. Ms. Ress joined the Wartburg family in 2004 as the Nursing Home Administrator and was recently promoted to Vice President. This past year, Ms. Ress has led the development of a short-term rehabilitation wing in the skilled nursing facility for complex medical conditions such as cardiac and cardio-pulmonary rehabilitation therapies. At the same time, she is overseeing the addition of an outpatient rehabilitation facility scheduled to open in Wartburg’s state-of-the-art freestanding Rehabilitation Center in Fall 2015.

During her tenure at Wartburg, Ms. Ress has also led the team that has ensured each patient in Wartburg’s Rehabilitation Center, opened in 2013, maximizes their recovery with innovative therapies and a highly-skilled staff. Wartburg’s Rehabilitation Center gets patients home faster and healthier with lower re-hospitalization rates and shorter lengths of stay than national and regional averages.

“I am proud of Ms. Ress and confident she will use this experience to enhance our leadership team’s ability to collaborate with other key area providers in an effort to better serve this community,” said David Gentner, Wartburg President and CEO.

The Leadership Academy is a year-long program designed to strengthen not-for-profit leadership in aging services. The program provides a challenging and engaging learning environment that enhances the leadership capacity of aging-services professionals so they are better equipped to serve our field.

“The Academy is built on the power of collaboration and community to develop the innovative, person-directed programs our elders deserve,” LeadingAge president and CEO Larry Minnix said, “Together, these individuals will learn valuable leadership skills that will help their organizations offer seniors the services they need, when they need them, in a place they can call home.”

“I am excited to have been selected as a Fellow as it will allow for professional growth as well as the opportunity to exchange ideas and best practices with similar healthcare organizations from across the country,” said Ms. Ress.

Fellows will meet throughout the year to explore diverse perspectives from aging services leaders, learn from innovative care and service models, enhance their leadership skills and core competencies, and advance person-centered programming in aging services.

For more about the LeadingAge Leadership Academy, visit www.LeadingAge.org.

About Wartburg

Wartburg is an award-winning provider of comprehensive senior services, including independent living, assisted living, Alzheimer’s/dementia care, skilled nursing, rehabilitation, adult day services and hospice care. www.wartburg.org. Its 34-acre campus in Mount Vernon serves seniors and their families in southern Westchester and the northern Bronx, and now the tri-state area. Wartburg’s nursing home has been recognized by U. S. News & World Report as among the “Best Nursing Homes in New York State” for the fifth straight consecutive year, in 2015. Over the past few years, Wartburg has launched an ambitious building expansion program, including the Friedrichs Residence, providing affordable housing for seniors with 61 independent living apartments, and a rehabilitation and adult day services center of excellence both opened in 2013.

About LeadingAge

The mission of LeadingAge is to expand the world of possibilities for aging. Our 6,000+ members and partners include not-for-profit organizations representing the entire field of aging services, 39 state partners, hundreds of businesses, consumer groups, foundations, and research partners. LeadingAge is also a part of the International Association of Homes and Services for the Aging, whose membership spans 30 countries.

The work of LeadingAge is focused on advocacy, education, and applied research. We promote home health, hospice, community-based services, senior housing, assisted living residences, continuing care communities, nursing homes as well as technology solutions and person-centered practices that support the overall health and wellbeing of seniors, children, and those with special needs.