Executive Director Patricia O'Connor (second right), and associates from the Mercy Nursing Facility, prepare to deliver donuts to the staff for a "sweet" celebration recognizing Mercy Nursing at the Our Lady of Victory Senior Neighborhood's rating among the New York State Department of Health's Top Performing Nursing Homes.

For the second year in a row, the Mercy Nursing Facility at the Our Lady of Victory Senior Neighborhood was named a Top Performing Nursing Home by the New York State Department of Health. This designation places the Catholic Health long-term care facility, which is affiliated with Mercy Hospital of Buffalo, in the top 5 percent of nursing homes in the state.

To receive this recognition, nursing homes must achieve top 5 percent quintile performance in the NYSDOH Nursing Home Quality Initiative for the last three consecutive years. The quality initiative is an annual performance evaluation project designed to improve the quality of care for residents in Medicaid-certified nursing facilities. Eligible nursing homes are awarded points for various performance measures, including quality, compliance and efficiency.

"We are very proud to be named a Top Performing Nursing Home and recognized for our commitment to deliver quality care," said Patricia O'Connor, executive director of the Mercy Nursing Facility. "This achievement is a reflection of the dedication of our entire staff, who treat our residents as family and work together as a team to provide outstanding care and service."

Mercy Nursing Facility was also recently awarded the "Embracing Quality" Award from Providigm. The award recognizes top performing nursing homes in the United States and Canada for their outstanding commitment to quality care and customer satisfaction. In addition, the Mercy Nursing Facility received the 2016 Excellence in Action Award for outstanding resident satisfaction from the National Research Corporation for the fourth consecutive year. To earn this recognition, the Mercy Nursing Facility achieved overall resident satisfaction scores that fall within the top 10 percent of the NRC database, the largest in the United States.

For more information on the New York State Nursing Home Quality initiative, visit www.health.ny.gov/health_care/medicaid/redesign/nursing_home_quality_initiative.htm.