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.
Debra Reed’s personal credo is to “leave the world a little better than I found it.” Her career experience and achievements indicate that she has stayed true to those words.
Reed is the regional director of operations for Crest Healthcare in South and Central Illinois. In this position, she is responsible for overseeing operations for five of the organization’s facilities.
Before joining Crest, Reed worked for 20 years as assistant executive director of the Beverly Farm Foundation, a planned community in Godfrey, IL, that is home to almost 400 adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
In 2018, she made the move to Crest as executive director of Highland Health Care Center, a 109-bed facility in Highland, IL, before making the move to her current position in February 2021.
Reed strives to make sure that staff members, along with her residents and patients, are put in the best position to succeed. She has developed a new management strategy — one that will be implemented across Crest’s facilities — to ensure that this goal is attained.
The strategy contains four pillars: keeping lines of communication open, fostering a positive work environment by rewarding superior efforts and outcomes through public acknowledgment, bringing as much joy as possible to residents and staff members, and letting employees know they are valued and appreciated.
As a result, Crest Healthcare has retained much of its staff, even through the pandemic, and has become an attractive destination for job-seekers.
Outside of Crest, Reed is a member of numerous organizations, including Rotary Club of Highland, IL, the RiverBend Growth Association, the North Alton-Godfrey Business Council and the Southwestern Illinois Employers Association.
Incredibly passionate about supporting adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, she also volunteers for the Special Olympics.
“Debra is an effective and committed leader, a strong advocate for quality resident care, and has a passion for workplace culture and staff development,” Crest Healthcare Director of Public Relations Shaina Weiss said.
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.
