Editor’s note: McKnight’s Home Care, McKnight’s Long-Term Care News and McKnight’s Senior Living are profiling the McKnight’s 2022 Women of Distinction honorees daily July 5 through Aug. 11. For additional McKnight’s Women of Distinction content, visit this page.

Crystal Shelby has moved gracefully from admissions, to marketing and then to operations at Legacy Healthcare due to her natural people skills and gift in making connections. 

Within a year of assuming her operations role, she was running a high-needs building, helping to build ventilator programming. A year later, she was running the company’s flagship property in downtown Chicago. By year three, she and her team had rebuilt the facility’s reputation, continuing to serve a resident population with increasing healthcare needs using innovative new technologies. 

“She is on the cutting edge of skilled nursing, implementing many unique and innovative programs,” said Etan Bleichman, a fellow regional director of operations at Legacy Healthcare, as he explained Shelby’s gift. According to colleagues, rarely does this level of talent mesh with hard work and the desire to do good as it does in Shelby.

Starting as an admissions director at Legacy Healthcare’s flagship facility in March 2008, she helped increase the occupancy level and star rating of that facility. She also fostered strong relationships with major university hospitals, such as those affiliated with Northwestern and Rush universities, creating an innovative program that drastically improved the facility’s metrics, including rehospitalizations, discharge to home, and customer satisfaction. 

In 2018, Shelby was voted facility administrator of the year for Legacy Healthcare while leading a building with an extremely high volume of rehabilitation patients, averaging more than 10 new admissions per day. Under her leadership, the facility was selected to be part of a major project called “Nursing Home Protype”’ by the Institute of Healthcare Improvement. It is one of six facilities nationally to be selected for this program that, upon completion, will have earned the designation of an “Age Friendly Health System.”

In 2019, Shelby was promoted to her current role of regional director of operations. With her new title, she began directing four properties, working with administrators to improve patient/resident care and outcomes. 

“She is someone who shows genuine compassion for her residents and supports her staff with hands-on, boots-on-the-ground leadership,” Bleichman said.

“No task is beneath her, and no challenge is beyond her skill set,” she added.

The McKnight’s Women of Distinction program is jointly administered by McKnight’s Home Care, McKnight’s Long-Term Care News and McKnight’s Senior Living. The program’s Diamond sponsor is PointClickCare. Silver sponsors include OnShift and PharMerica, and the Bronze sponsor is Reliant Rehabilitation. Table sponsors included Dreamscape, Gojo/Purell and Sound Physicians.