
Natlie Miko recognized for exceptional 2022 performance
Staff Reports | Digital Free Press
The American College of Health Care Administrators is honoring Natalie Miko, administrator of Acacia Health Center found in the Sagewood senior living community in Phoenix, with the 2023 Eli Pick Facility Leadership Award.
Only 2% of senior communities nationwide met the initial selection criteria, according to a press release.
Eligibility for this award is based on three years of skilled nursing survey data including the health, fire safety, complaint surveys and top quartile performance on designated quality measures.
The criteria also include at least a 70% or greater facility occupancy and a three-year avoidance of a special focus facility status, the release states.
Ms. Miko is a resident-focused leader with more than 15 years of experience as she oversees the care of 78 skilled beds at Acacia Health Center while providing oversight to Acacia’s Assisted Living.
“Natalie’s leadership, passion and knowledge is an asset to our community,” said Sagewood Executive Director Ed Smith. “Acacia Health Center residents and staff hold Natalie in high regards. We are so proud of her – this honor is well-deserved.”
This year, only 31 administrators across the nation were awarded the 2023 Eli Pick Facility Leadership Award.
“Skilled nursing centers across our country are at the forefront of providing care. Despite ongoing challenges, regulatory burdens, and limited resources, these exceptional leaders and their teams have shown that they can achieve outstanding results,” Robert Lane, ACHCA’s president and CEO.
The facility leadership award was introduced in 2008 by one of ACHCA’s most revered leaders, the late Eli Pick. As former executive director of the Ballard Rehabilitation Center for over 30 years, Mr. Pick embodied excellence as an administrator who cared for his residents, their families, and his community.