Friendship Welcomes Back Susan O’Malley as Administrator of Assisted Living
ROANOKE, Va. (February 19, 2020) – Friendship, a local leader in senior living and rehabilitation, is proud to announce Susan O’Malley has returned to the community to serve as administrator for assisted living.
“We are thrilled Susan has rejoined our team,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Joe Hoff. “She is very well-regarded within the healthcare industry and has proven leadership experience that has led to excellent outcomes for her residents, their families, and of course, the team members with whom she serves.”
O’Malley served in this very role from 2005 to 2012. A graduate of Virginia Baptist Hospital School of Nursing, O’Malley was named Assisted Living Administrator of the Year by the Virginia Health Care Association (VHCA) in 2012. She also oversaw a team that achieved the silver quality award from the American Health Care Association (AHCA) for excellence in patient care and outcomes.
“I have been a RN since 1982 in various areas, but in 2000 I changed career paths to care for senior adults and it was definitely the right direction for me,” said O’Malley. “Assisted living is a great place where people can receive help, but maintain a lot of their independence and have fun with old and new friends.”
Since O’Malley’s previous employment with Friendship, much has changed in the assisted living residence, which is the first building that was constructed on the Friendship campus in the early 60’s. In January 2019, the front lobby was remodeled, allowing for visual continuity to Friendship’s Adult Medical Day Care building, The Feinour Center, which is connected securely with a hallway. Significant upgrades were also made in the kitchen by replacing the entire front-line cooking station, as well as a new stainless steel hood.
O’Malley rejoined the Friendship team in early February, just in time to encourage team members to participate in the annual engagement survey.
“Joining the team at the kick off the employee engagement survey has been a great opportunity to get reacquainted with some familiar faces, as well as several new ones,” said O’Malley. “It’s very advantageous timing-wise to receive this feedback as I’m hearing directly from the source as to what’s working well, in addition to the opportunities we have to make our residence even better for all involved."
Employee engagement and retainment are major focuses for the organization. In the continual pursuit to show appreciation and compassion to existing team members and to stand out in the competitive job market, Friendship recently launched DailyPay, the company’s latest voluntary benefit that gives team members instant access to earned wages.
“Attracting key talent, like Susan, to Friendship is critical to our success now and in the future as we continue to evolve our campuses and services,” said Hoff. “Our employees truly are the heart and soul of our community and so we want to do all we can to bring them peace of mind, personally and professionally.”
In 2019, Friendship was named best employer by Roanoker Magazine’s best of survey with the platinum award, and Southwest Virginia Living Magazine’s readers’ choice awards gave Friendship the bronze award.
For more information about Friendship, the company’s job openings, employee benefits and programs, please contact Ashley Jewell, Director of Human Resources, at ajewell@friendship.us or 540.265.2149.