New management in place at Blue Valley

As the new executive director at Blue Valley Lutheran Homes, Kerrey Miller sees the changes as positive.
“We are really trying to promote a positive family environment,” she said a couple of weeks after taking the lead position.
Miller, who was the director of nursing at Blue Valley for 16 months before stepping into executive director, said stability is the most important focus for residents.
“We need to make sure we have someone who is loyal to the community and the people we are serving,” she said of the three Blue Valley facilities in Hebron. “It is a calling, not just a job. We have an obligation to these individuals on a much higher level.”
Miller wants the facilities to keep moving forward in a direction that will best serve Blue Valley’s aging population.
The facility is on its way with its private rooms and open meals plan.
The resident is the boss, Miller said.
“If they want to sleep in, fine. It is about meeting the people where they’re at,” she said. “This is resident-centered care.
Miller noted people coming to Blue Valley are more advanced in the aging process because they’re able to stay home longer.
“People are living to be much older, even than 20 years ago. They’re coming to long term care because they really need the care,” she said.
She said the new therapy department zeroes in on specific issues with individual patients to better serve residents.
Blue Valley didn’t just hire a new executive director — changes in the management team included Lacey Wagner and Clara Hartley as the new directors of nursing at the care home and nursing home, respectively. In adidtion, Hannah Dunlap, who previously worked in Geneva with assisted living residents, was named administrator at the care home. Jamie Houser is the nurse coordinator at Courtyard Terrace.  
“It’s been fun. We’re starting to do some strategic planning,” Miller said. “I think it will be a lot of work and a lot of fun.”  
Wagner moved up from her position as a nurse on the Blue Valley floor. Hartley was with AseraCare Hospice. She worked with Blue Valley residents through AseraCare.
While Miller is excited about Blue Valley’s future, she grounds herself in the present.
“I want the community to feel like they can come out and enjoy the activities. I just want to get that point across — how important it is for the community to come in here and make someone’s day,” she said. “It can be so very meaningful to them.”