Copper Ridge – Outpatient and Residential Care for the Memory Impaired

Copper Ridge, a member of the EMA faith-based family of retirement communities and resources, has hired 2 new members to lead its nursing department.

Patricia Johnson, RN, BSN has accepted the position of Director of Nursing. Patricia was previously an emergency room charge nurse for Northwest Hospital and held nurse leadership and management positions with Beverly Enterprises Golden Living Center, Heatlands Senior Living, and HCR Manor Care. Johnson was also Director of Assisted Living, Director of Education for Copper Ridge from 2000-2004.

The Assistant Director of Nursing position has been accepted by Patricia Hillman, RN, BSN. Patricia was most recently a nurse for the Heart Care Unit at Northwest Hospital Center. Previously she works as LPN, Certified Geriatric Nursing Assistant, and Unit Secretary for Copper Ridge.

Belonging to the EMA faith-based family of retirement communities and resources, Copper Ridge is an internationally recognized, not-for-profit full service outpatient and residential community for the memory impaired. Copper Ridge has 60 assisted living suites and a 66 bed comprehensive nursing care center. Other members of the EMA family not mentioned previously include Fairhaven and The Copper Ridge Institute in Carroll County, Buckingham’s Choice in Frederick County and William Hill Manor in Talbot County.

The Associated French Press has recognized Copper Ridge for its exceptional music therapy program. Watch the video.

Copper Ridge, a member of the EMA faith-based family of retirement communities and resources, achieved four out of a possible five stars in Medicare’s new Five-Star Quality Rating System. The ratings were announced on December 18, 2008.

"The star ratings of EMA’s faith-based communities truly reflect the dedication of EMA employees and management to the mission of serving aging persons," said James Melhorn, EMA Chief Executive Officer.

According to the Medicare.gov website, the new rating system was created to help consumers, their families, and caregivers compare nursing homes more easily and help identify areas about which consumers may want to ask questions. The rating areas include Health Inspections, Nursing Home Staffing and Quality Measures.

The Health Inspections are a comprehensive look at all major aspects of care in a nursing home, and includes about 180 different items. Health Inspections also include onsite visits by trained inspectors, and Federal quality checks.

The Nursing Home Staffing rating looks at the overall number of staff compared to the number of residents, and how many of the staff are trained nurses. It also takes into consideration how sick the nursing home residents are in each nursing home, as that affects staffing needs.

The Quality Measures provide an in-depth look at how well each nursing home performs on 10 important aspects of care, such as helping people to keep their ability to dress and eat.

Belonging to the EMA faith-based family of retirement communities and resources, Copper Ridge is a not-for-profit full service outpatient and residential community for the memory impaired. Copper Ridge has 60 assisted living suites and a 66 bed comprehensive nursing care center. Other members of the EMA family not mentioned previously include Fairhaven and The Copper Ridge Institute in Carroll County, Buckingham’s Choice in Frederick County and William Hill Manor in Talbot County.