In early 2021, EmpRes Healthcare in Vancouver, WA, was in the market for an entry management and health surveillance tool to improve efficiency of their operations. Maintaining a safe and sanitary environment was crucial, especially in the midst of a global pandemic.

Ultimately, it partnered with Accushield and wound up earning the Gold Award in the Building Bridges category of the Skilled Nursing division of the 2022 McKnight’s Excellence in Technology program.

The technology eliminated the need to employ full-time workers at EmpRes facility entrances. The kiosk and mobile app enabled self-screening and the capture of valuable data used for other processes. EmpRes estimates it saved more than 45,000 labor hours and just over $135,000 in labor dollars through its Accushield use. This allowed EmpRes to divert surplus funds to other areas of operation. Residents, staff and visitors learned to effectively use the technology without issues.

“We at EmpRes are very thankful for this win in the Building Bridges Category. It is a testimony to all our valued staff always going the extra mile in caring for our residents, each other and those we partner with to make mission impossible happen each day,” said chief nursing officer Misty Reid.

“Building connections and bridges with one another is so critical in such a hard time for our industry. We value our partnership with Accushield and continue to be excited in taking part of their constant pursuit of finding solutions to make our jobs easier caring for our residents.”

The other winners in the Building Bridges category of the Skilled Nursing track were:

•  Trillium Woods, of Plymouth, MN, which earned Silver for its implementation of the hands-free Vocera badge.

•  The Hebrew Home at Riverdale, the Bronx, NY, which won Bronze for its customized use of the ASCOM interactive nurse call system.

Read about the Quality category winners in the Skilled Nursing track on the McKnight’s Senior Living website and in the Home Care track on the McKnight’s Home Care website.

See a list of all 2022 McKnight’s Excellence in Technology Awards Skilled Nursing track winners here.

The Platinum sponsor of the 2022 McKnight’s Tech Awards + Summit is KARE. Gold sponsors are iN2L + LifeLoop, IntelyCare and Saiva.To view the virtual awards presentation and recordings of the Summit webinars, visit mcknights.com/100422techawards.