Sonja Susnjevic, Quality Manager; Terretha Smith, BSN-RN, Director of Clinical Services; Shelly Ann Lau, Associate Vice President & Administrator, Skilled Nursing Center; and Shauniel Brown, Senior Risk Manager
April 9, 2025 – West Palm Beach, FL – The Health Care District of Palm Beach County’s Skilled Nursing Center (formerly Healey Center) has earned three prestigious distinctions for nursing home excellence:
- Newsweek’s “America’s Best Nursing Homes 2025”
- U.S. News & World Report’s highest honor for both short-term rehabilitation and long-term care
- 2024 Silver National Quality Award from the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL)
The Health Care District’s Skilled Nursing Center is home to a younger adult population than most nursing facilities, with an average resident age of 65, many of whom have experienced traumatic injuries, strokes, or debilitating illnesses. The center’s healthcare team is dedicated to helping residents achieve and maintain optimal levels of physical and social function. With five hours of nurse staffing per resident per day, significantly exceeding the state average of three hours and 52 minutes and the national average of three hours and 46 minutes, the center ensures a high level of care. Research shows that higher nurse staffing levels are linked to improved safety and better overall health outcomes for residents.
“It’s an honor to receive the Silver National Quality Award and be recognized by Newsweek and U.S. News & World Report as one of America’s ‘Best Nursing Homes,’” said Darcy J. Davis, President and CEO of the Health Care District. “These distinctions reflect our team’s dedication to providing compassionate, high-quality care. Whether residents are with us for short-term rehabilitation or long-term care, we are here to support them when they need us most.”
“Our Skilled Nursing Center is an essential part of Palm Beach County’s healthcare safety net,” said Shelly-Ann Lau, Health Care District Associate Vice President and Skilled Nursing Center Administrator. “We provide long-term and short-term skilled nursing care for trauma patients and other residents who might not be served in other facilities. These recognitions reaffirm our commitment to excellence and motivate us to uphold the highest standards of care. We are
honored to support the residents and their families who depend on us.”
Newsweek’s “America’s Best Nursing Homes” recognition of the Health Care District’s Edward J. Healey and Rehabilitation Center, awarded in collaboration with Statista, the world-leading statistics portal
and industry ranking provider, is based on key performance indicators such as performance data, reputation, accreditation, and resident satisfaction.
For its 2025 edition, U.S. News evaluated nearly 15,000 nursing homes on quality measures like infection rates, staffing levels, health inspection outcomes, and appropriate use of antipsychotic medications. This is the sixth consecutive year the Health Care District’s Edward J. Healey Nursing and Rehabilitation Center has been named a “Best Nursing Home” through the U.S. News program.
The AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program follows a rigorous three-level process of bronze, silver, and gold recognition, which evaluates facilities on nationally recognized standards for quality outcomes. To achieve the Silver – Achievement in Quality Award, recipients must first complete the Bronze – Commitment to Quality Award and meet the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program criteria, which supports systematic improvements in resident and staff care. The Health Care District’s Skilled Nursing Center, one of only nine facilities in Florida to achieve silver status in 2024, is now eligible to pursue the Gold – Excellence in Quality Award.
For more information about the Health Care District of Palm Beach County’s Skilled Nursing Center, visit WeCareforAllPBC.org.
About the Health Care District of Palm Beach County
The Health Care District of Palm Beach County is an independent special taxing district that has served as a healthcare safety net for 36 years to fill in gaps in access to healthcare services. This unique healthcare system covers the entire county with nine community health centers (Federally Qualified Health Centers) which serve everyone regardless of ability to pay; school health teams in 172 public schools; a Trauma Hawk aeromedical helicopter program; a rural, public teaching hospital, Lakeside Medical Center; a skilled nursing center; a ground ambulance program for Health Care District patients needing a higher level of care and the county’s Trauma Agency, which ensures quality outcomes within the county’s trauma system and leads initiatives to prevent traumatic injury.
