Cheney Care Community might not seem much different from other retirement complexes in the greater Spokane area, but the organization’s skilled-care facility now boasts the highest rating bestowed by respected industry sources.

Last month, the organization’s Cheney Care Center achieved a CMS five-star rating. Created by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in 2008, the rating system is designed to help consumers and caregivers compare skilled nursing facility offerings and quality of care. 

The system assigns each facility a rating between one and five, using information gathered from health care surveys, quality measures, and staffing levels. Facilities with five stars are considered to have above average quality care.

Cheney Care executive director Keith Fauerso says it’s difficult for most facilities to achieve the full five-star rating. 

“I believe it all comes down to the staff: their passion for this work and how they relate to those in their care really makes all the difference,” he says.

The CMS managed website Medicare.gov lists 17 other facilities in Washington state that have achieved a five-star rating. In addition to the Cheney Care Center, Spokane-area facilities that have earned the highest mark include Avalon Care Center at NorthPointe, Regency at NorthPointe, Riverview Care Center, Rockwood South Hill, and Touchmark on the South Hill Nursing. 

Fauerso says Cheney Care Community campus has a total staff of 115, making it the fourth largest employer in Cheney.

“If you count all the services we provide, we care for about 144 seniors in the area,” he says. “We generally operate at a 94 percent occupancy.”

The Cheney Care Community is owned and operated by the Cheney Care Center Association, a 501(c)3 nonprofit community organization, governed by a seven-member board of directors.

Fauerso says Cheney Care was founded in 1979 by a group of citizens who launched a door-to-door fundraising campaign, educating people about the need for a local retirement community and raising the funds to build it.

“It was a huge undertaking,” says Fauerso. “The community organized a fundraiser earning $330,000, and took out a $1.2 million HUD loan to build the care center. They also organized congressional support to obtain a certificate of need in order to build the facility.” 

The Cheney Care Community campus is a 5-acre site located at 2219 N. Sixth, just a few blocks northeast of Eastern Washington University. 

Fauerso says the campus offers independent, assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing, home care, and outpatient rehabilitation services through its various facilities. 

The campus’ oldest building is the 27,000-square-foot Cheney Care Center, a 54-bed skilled care facility that includes a memory-care unit for individuals with Alzheimer’s and related disorders, and a specialized rehabilitation area.

The assisted living facility, Cheney Assisted Living, includes 28 studio and one-bedroom apartments, and offers residents three meals a day, on-site activities, transportation services, a beauty salon, and other amenities.  

The Cheney Care campus also includes three independent living apartment communities for seniors, those being Sessions Village 202, Sessions Village Apartments, and Blackstone Estates duplexes.

Fauerso says Sessions Village 202 includes 20 government subsidized rental apartments, which are available for individuals meeting the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development eligibility. 

Meanwhile, Sessions Village Apartments includes a total of 16 one-to two-bedroom units, rented to residents of middle income or better. 

Fauerso says the nearby Blackstone Estates duplexes are still in development, but will eventually include six buildings, with 12 units, each being 1,430 square feet. Four buildings have been built so far, and a fifth is currently under construction. 

Fauerso says all campus residents are provided free Medicaid transportation, and the campus also serves as the senior meal site for Cheney, distributing meals on wheels to seniors in the area. 

He says the community also offers a home care program, which provides nonmedical care and daily living assistance to seniors who wish to remain in their own homes. 

Fauerso says the mix of residents on campus has changed somewhat through the years, with a more significant portion being made up of those seeking short-term rehabilitation related stays. 

“We’re seeing more elderly go from hospital care to a skilled facility for rehabilitation before returning home,” he says. “That number is growing all the time.” 

Fauerso says many residents are dealing with several chronic health conditions, which in most cases means 24-hour care is needed. 

“As a community orientated facility, we’ve always focused on providing a variety of options for seniors that preclude the need for long-term care,” he says.  

While most of the management staff have been employed there for more than 10 years, the Cheney Care Community also has been affected by a nationwide shortage of licensed nurses, Fauerso says. 

“In Washington and Oregon, the shortage of licensed nurses has been particularly acute,” he says. “To help with shortages, our state started a program that allows nurses aides to become Medical Assistant Certified, or MAC for short.”

According to Fauerso, under the direction of a registered nurse, MACs are allowed to pass residents oral medications, which helps to relieve the additional workload of nursing staff. 

“More facilities are beginning to use MACs,” he says. “They’re trained rigorously and integrating them into our care programs has been a huge help.”

Fauerso says the Cheney Care Community is one of several area nursing facilities currently participating in a study on MACs through the Geriatric Interest group of Spokane, and currently has two MACs on staff. 

“I believe health care will continue to expand, with new licensure and certifications allowing people to work in all settings,” says Fauerso. 

He says Eastern Washington University recently created a new track for students to become licensed nursing home administrators through its Health Services Administration program.

“It used to be that students who wanted to become nursing home administrators had to be trained through a facility, while also working to support themselves,” he says. “Now that training is tied to the educational program so students are eligible to receive a stipend, or other support, making it easier to attain.”

In addition to nursing shortages, Fauerso says skilled care facilities soon may be facing other challenges in the form of funding and added regulations. 

The Kaiser Family Foundation website, which lists in-depth information on key health policy issues, states that Medicaid is the primary payer for nursing home care, providing needed long term care services not offered by Medicare that would otherwise be unaffordable for seniors with low incomes. 

The site goes on to say that because Medicaid currently provides federal matching funds with no pre-set limit that helps states cover nursing home care, possible restructuring or cuts in federal funds could limit state’s ability to provide these services.

“If the Affordable Care Act is repealed, financing for skilled facilities will likely be changing,” Fauerso says. “Some changes could have dramatic effects on current Medicaid funding for states. For smaller facilities that could be a real challenge, as Medicaid recipients make up a majority of their residents.”

Additionally, Fauerso says the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid is currently in the midst of rewriting its requirements for participation. 

“It’s a very involved, detailed process, but we’ve adapted to changes in those requirements before,” he says. “I think it’s likely we’ll be able to adapt again.”

In addition to having been executive director with the Cheney Care Community for 31 years, Fauerso also serves as co-chairman of the Washington state Board of Nursing Home Administrators, as well as being an adjunct faculty member for EWU’s Health Services Administration program. 

Although the now 63-year-old Fauerso is close to retirement age himself, he says he still has some goals in mind for the campus in the coming years. 

“Our campus is still relatively young compared to most, but we’re due for an update,” he says. “So far, we’re planning to renovate the Cheney Care Center building, expanding its rehabilitation area, and reconfiguring some existing two-resident rooms into private rooms.” 

Fauerso says the renovation may also include adding a separate entrance to allow those visiting short-term stay residents easier access. 

“We’re also researching additional services we might be able to provide seniors in the area,” he says. “We’re always looking for innovative ways to grow, while still providing good care.”