Editor’s note: McKnight’s Home Care, McKnight’s Senior Living and McKnight’s Long-Term Care News are profiling the McKnight’s 2023 Women of Distinction honorees daily from July 5 to Aug. 15. For additional McKnight’s Women of Distinction content, visit this page.
For Carol Williams, healthcare is a lifestyle, not a job. She joined Hallmark Healthcare of Pekin at the end of a four year break in her healthcare career. She worked for years in administration and customer service at various facilities, but the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic drew her back to her purpose.
Williams said she was called to come back and help ensure quality care during the pandemic, and she has proved her commitment to residents and staff members over and over again. She is known to frequent the facility even in her off time with her dachshund, Lucy, and she routinely shares her personal cell phone number with residents and staff members alike, encouraging them to call her at any time, for anything.
The result of her dedication is a low turnover rate—a stark difference from what many in healthcare are facing— throughout the pandemic. Williams attributes this low turnover to avoiding the use of temporary or rotating staff through creative scheduling. The presence of regular staff members helps residents feel comfortable and has helped Hallmark avoid any recent negative complaint surveys and inspection reports. Hallmark also has seen its census grow by 45% under Williams’ leadership.
The McKnight’s Women of Distinction program is jointly administered by McKnight’s Home Care, McKnight’s Senior Living and McKnight’s Long-Term Care News. PointClickCare is the Diamond sponsor of this year’s program. PharMerica is the Silver sponsor. Additional sponsors include American HealthTech, Healthcare Services Group, Omnicare, Sentrics and ShiftKey.
Visit this web page to see lists of honorees from 2023 and previous years.
