Editor’s Note: McKnight’s Long-Term Care News and McKnight’s Senior Living are profiling the McKnight’s 2021 Women of Distinction honorees daily July 6 through Aug. 6. To see the 2021 McKnight’s 2021 Women of Distinction awards ceremony, register for free here. For additional profiles of McKnight’s Women of Distinction, visit this page.
When Hemwattie “Hemi” Clough began her long-term care career as a receptionist, little did she know that a colleague’s maternity leave would mean a complete change in her future plans.
After two months as a receptionist, Clough was asked to fill in as human resources director. She soon was promoted to the position at a sister facility and decided that healthcare administration would be her focus going forward.
While working as a human resources director, Clough said, she boosted employee morale and increased retention. She created an employee engagement and appreciation program that multiple Consulate Health Care facilities still use today.
Soon after receiving a Master of Public Administration degree focusing on emergency services management, Clough entered an administrator-in-training program and was hired almost immediately as an interim administrator and then completed her training.
Serving as the executive director at Consulate Health Care at SeaView Nursing and Rehabilitation in Pompano Beach, FL, Clough created a new revenue source that offset payment cuts in Medicaid. She also was credited with helping the facility earn the 2020 American Health Care Association National Quality Silver Award.
Clough now has served as administrator for Williston Care Center in Williston, FL, for approximately a year. As the COVID-19 pandemic wanes, Clough, who is pursuing a doctoral program focusing on public health, says it is clear how fragile and fundamental the healthcare industry is. She vows to continue enhancing her knowledge of said industry.
The McKnight’s Women of Distinction program is jointly administered by McKnight’s Long-Term Care News and McKnight’s Senior Living. The program’s Diamond sponsor is PointClickCare, and the Roundtable Sponsor is Paycor.
