FHCA recently interviewed Stephanie Frazier, Senior Vice President of Housing at MorseLife in West Palm Beach and active member of the Florida Center for Assisted Living Committee (FCAL). Stephanie came to Florida six years ago and joined FHCA to expand her network and take advantage of the benefits the association has to offer assisted living professionels.How did you make the decision to work in long term care? Specifically, an assisted living facility?
My grandmother and I were always very close and she resided in a senior living community. Upon college graduation I received a job in the community where she was living. She was always my inspiration. I found assisted living the most rewarding as it was a mixture of social and medical models. I approached all seniors in my care as if they were my own grandmother.
As the Senior Vice President of Housing at MorseLife Health System, please describe to us about the uniqueness of your community, staff, and the residents.
I oversee Independent living, assisted living, and Assisted living memory care totaling in 375 beds now with a new PACE assisted living building opening in the summer with an additional 160 beds. The community is very large offering all seniors the resources they need without being turned away which is such wonderful asset. MorseLife is a Jewish facility however we do have a diverse community. The Jewish community within MorseLife is such a close community given what their cultural background has been through. This allows such a close relationship between staff and residents to form and grow.
How long have you been a member of Florida Health Care Association (FHCA)? What made you choose FHCA over other state long term care organizations?
MorseLife has been a member of FHCA for many years. I recently became more involved as my responsibilities grew within the organization. I had been a part of other organizations when I came to Florida 6 years ago but was never embraced as a new administrator. I wanted to try a new organization and my colleagues started sharing all the resources FHCA provided to them.
As a FHCA leader, what are some of the projects that you have supported or worked on that have made you proud?
Becoming a member of the FHCA FCAL committee has been rewarding. Supporting FHCA in its quest to better serve the assisted living communities is a great step as assisted living communities grow throughout the state and nationally.
In your opinion, please describe how FHCA has changed over the past years?
FHCA has done a great job reaching out on a personal level to members and providing most up to date information.
What are some of the “added benefits” that makes membership in FHCA attractive to your organization as an assisted living facility?
I believe in FHCA’s ability to meet the needs of assisted living facilities in Florida. One of the biggest benefits is meeting other members that you can reach out to for colleague support as well as knowing the FHCA team truly is only a phone call away to provide whatever added support needed or to answer any questions.
With the challenges that assisted living facilities face with increasing needs and workforce issues, what do you think FHCA can focus on to help you overcome these challenges?
As assisted living residents change to having needs closer to what nursing homes have provided in the past, I believe FHCA can be a front line support to helping at a state level needed changes to allow assisted living facilities to better meet the needs of these residents and to meet the goal of allowing these residents to truly age in place.
As an assisted living member, how do you think FHCA can support other assisted living members as we move forward in the long-term care continuum?
Continue reaching out with great information and education. Hosting live events in the future all over the state for meet and greet opportunities will also entice new facilities that are rapidly growing all over the state to join.
