March 31^st, 2003

Contact:      Jennifer Kurczek
      Community Relations Director

      (920)361-5481 or jkurczek@partnershealth.org

Juliette Manor welcomes familiar friends as ‘new’ team leaders

Using the word ‘new’ to describe the recent additions to the leadership team at Juliette Manor is just a bit misleading.

After all, three of the Community Health Network’s (CHN) skilled nursing new team leaders have worked professionally in recent years, while the fourth is a seasoned nursing director with expertise in long term care.

“We are fortunate in recruiting staff that not only possess a depth of experience in their fields, but are familiar with our resident population and the inner workings of a skilled nursing home,” said Charlene Lowe, Juliette Manor’s acting administrator. “Our new team leaders, combined with the talent and expertise of the peers they join at Juliette Manor, deeply enhance the level of quality care we provide our residents and bring a renewed spirit to our entire team.”

A familiar friend in Activities

Meg Roggow, Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant, has joined Juliette Manor as the nursing home’s new Activities Director. She had previously served Juliette Manor as part of  Community Health Network’s Proformance Rehabilitation division for the past five years.

“I love these people (the residents) and have a history with most of them,” Roggow said. “And the staff here is like my extended family. I’m so glad I can keep working in this new capacity at Juliette Manor.”

With a strong background and training in geriatric occupational therapy, Roggow said “adding more exercise” and “cognitive, stimulating” activities are two of her primary goals in her new role. Plus, she hopes to expand the one-on-one activity program, in which activity staff and community volunteers interact individually with residents.

 “Not all residents are able to participate in the large group activities,” she said. “So it’s important that we tailor our activities to best fit each resident’s personal needs and interests.”

Roggow graduated with honors from Fox Valley Technical College’s Occupational Therapy Assistant program in 1994, and has worked in the long term care setting ever since. Following her graduation, she worked briefly for a long term care consulting company prior to working in rehabilitation at Juliette Manor.

Another familiar friend

As a former Green Lake County social worker assisting area adults as they transitioned into a nursing home, Julie Chikowski worked hand-in-hand with the team at Juliette Manor for years. Today, she is on the other side of the table: working in cooperation with Green Lake County staff as Juliette Manor’s new Social Services Director.

“As a social worker, I have always had a high confidence level in the quality of care and professionalism of the staff here. In fact, Juliette Manor was certainly a first choice when seeking skilled nursing care for seniors in my previous jobs,” Chikowski said. “Now my primary responsibility is to be an advocate for our residents – striving to provide them, and their loved ones, with an experience that is both positive and comfortable.”

In her new role, Chikowski seeks to strengthen Juliette Manor’s Alzheimer’s program, as well as some of the nursing home’s internal operational systems in the pursuit to provide “even better service” to residents. To accomplish those objectives, she participates in daily team meetings and meets regularly with residents and/or their family members.

Chikowski also works closely with physicians and hospital staff to ensure that Juliette Manor’s resident needs  – social, medical, physical and spiritual – are planned for prior to their arrival and during their stay.

“Working at the County level, I was able to develop close working relationships with CHN physicians and Berlin Memorial Hospital’s social services staff,” she said. “Since we are familiar with each other’s communication and work styles, there has been no disruption to our resident’s care plans. Those of us involved with residents’ care plans have gelled to the point of being highly efficient– not to mention enthusiastic.”

Chikowski holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and most recently served as Director of Social Services for Oshkosh Medical and Rehabilitation Center. In addition to her role with Green Lake County, she has previously worked for the Department of Corrections and operated her own consulting business.

Nursing Services

Spending the past year traveling throughout the state as a nursing management consultant for various long term care facilities, Debra Maurice, RN, was ready to make a permanent career move into a role closer to home.

A resident of Omro, and former Director of Nursing at Wild Rose Manor and Oshkosh Medical and Rehabilitation Center, she found her calling as Juliette Manor’s new Director of Nursing.  

“One of my career goals was to spend some time as a travelling nurse consultant,” Maurice said. “But as the travel took me from place to place, what I missed most was the special bond you develop with the residents over time. I wanted to be back in the area and working in a skilled nursing setting, when the opportunity at Juliette Manor became available.”

As the Director of Nursing, Maurice manages the operations of the nursing department – fostering a team environment that ensures quality care to residents. Further, she coordinates quality improvement efforts, promotes team building among her staff, and serves as a physician liaison.

“What impressed me about Juliette Manor is that the nursing staff works together very well and everyone is so compassionate toward the residents,” she said. “That can help explain why we have lower nursing vacancy rates than other facilities with the current nursing shortage.”

A native of Winneconne, Maurice earned her license as a Certified Nursing Assistant through coursework at Fox

Valley Technical College following high school. She advanced her skills and licensure through further schooling  at Fox Valley Tech to become a Licensed Practical Nurse and eventually as a Registered Nurse. She has worked in several of levels of nursing, starting as a staff nurse and working up into nursing management.

Focusing on resident care coordination

Having served in leadership roles at Juliette Manor the past three years, Jan Ferris understands the nursing home’s niche in the long term care scene. She not only possesses the detailed knowledge of Juliette Manor’s programs, but she also has an intimate understanding of residents’ personal care plans and needs.

This expertise, combined with a strong marketing sense, make Ferris the ideal fit for Juliette Manor’s newly created Admissions Coordinator/Case Manager position.

“With the technological advances in medicine, the nursing home has evolved remarkably through the years,” Ferris said. “We’re no longer focused solely on long term care for residents, but also offer rehabilitation programs and other specialized services on a short-term basis.”

As Admissions Coordinator, Ferris works with hospital discharge planners and prospective new residents to ensure that Juliette Manor is an ideal fit for their individual needs. She works with groups in the community to promote the nursing home’s programs, including the Transitional Rehabilitation Unit, Alzheimer’s/Dementia care and skilled nursing services, and coordinates community resources that may be beneficial for Juliette Manor residents.

A Wisconsin native, Ferris earned her nursing degree at the Bellin Memorial School of Nursing in Green Bay, where she served as a floor nurse and nurse manager at that hospital. She later worked as a Senior Administrator/Chief Nurse Executive and Director of Nursing at long term care facilities while going back to school to earn both her Bachelor’s of Science degree in nursing and a Masters in Business Administration