Cherry Hill Manor named one of country's best short-term rehab facilities

Through the years, people in Rhode Island have always held Cherry Hill Manor in the highest esteem.

Now, Cherry Hill Manor Nursing & Rehabilitation Center – which is located at 2 Cherry Hill Road in Johnston – has a national reputation.

U.S. News & World Report recently rated the 170-bed facility a “Best Nursing Home for Short-Term Rehab for 2018-19,” according to a communication from Heidi Pino, senior communications specialist for Life Care Centers of America, which owns Cherry Hill Manor.

According to Mark White, vice president of specialty marketing at U.S. News and World Report, centers around the country were rated in an overall category, and those that offer short-term rehabilitation were rated in an additional category.

“Only 19 percent of U.S. nursing homes earned at least one badge, some earned both,” White said.

The short-stay rehab category, Pino said, takes into account staffing, outcomes, resident complaints and processes of care, as well as vaccination percentages, nursing staff training and other measures.

“At Cherry Hill Manor, we are very appreciative of the support and collaboration we have received from the community and the medical community,” said Katie Gerber, executive director at Cherry Hill Manor. “Our positive patient outcomes and customer satisfaction is a direct result of the training and commitment of our staff.”

Moreover, there are a lot of familiar faces on the Cherry Hill Manor staff.

“Ten percent of our employees have been here for more than 20 years,” said Loraine DiLorenzo, the facility’s director of marketing. “Twenty percent of our employees have been here for at least 10 years.”

Meanwhile, Gerber added: “The culture of our facility is to be sure our patients know we care how they feel – expertise with empathy and to continuously engage and develop our staff. Our mission is to always be the provider and employer of choice in the community we serve.”

Cherry Hill Manor is one of two skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers in Rhode Island managed by Life Care Centers of America. Cherry Hill employs nearly 300 people.

Founded in 1976, Life Care Centers is a national healthcare company with headquarters in Cleveland, Tennessee, and manages more than 200 nursing, post-acute and Alzheimer’s centers in 28 states.

Perez receives nursing honor

Angie Perez, as she’s known, is the perfect example of Cherry Hill Manor’s quality staff.

Perez received the Long-Term Care Nurse of the Year Award that’s given by the American Nurses Association of Rhode Island in conjunction with Rhode Island Monthly magazine.

Perez, who has been at Cherry Hill Manor sine 2015, was nominated by her peers and selected from a pool of candidates by a panel of ANA-RI judges. Her love for nursing dates back to high school, when she joined the health care Magnet program and shadowed staff nurses.

Now, after beginning at Cherry Hill Manor in the sub-acute unit, Perez transferred to the long-term care unit due to her strong passion for senior care.

“I seem to be drawn more toward the elderly,” Perez said. “I have a strong passion for seniors.”