On Wednesday, June 18th, 2008, Western Illinois Home Health Care (WIHHC) and Western Illinois Managed Home Services (WIMHS) held their 27th Annual Employee Appreciation Luncheon and In-service at Knox College. Attending this luncheon and in-service were approximately 80 employees.

Activities included a luncheon buffet, service awards, and an in-service for the Revised Agency Handbook. A wide assortment of door prizes were also given away to employees.

Wil Azer and Melissa Engebretson, owners and physical therapists from Azer Rehab Systems, were recognized for their continued and outstanding commitment to Western Illinois Home Health Care. Azer Rehab Systems provide physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational theapy for the clients of WIHHC and WIMHS.

New to the luncheon this year were the years of service pins. WIHHC and WIMHS will begin awarding years of service pins to employees to recognize each year of employment and demonstrate gratitude for quality service.

WIHHC and WIMHS also recognized several employees as they reached a new milestone in their continued years of service. In recognition of her 10 years of service, Jen Podhajsky was honored with an inscribed pewter vase. In appreciation of their 5 years of service, the following employees were acknowledged with agency engraved pins: Kathy Bewley, Rosemary Gardner, Mary Higgins, Sharon Keith, and Brenda Suydam.

One final recognition was given to Brenda Young for being named as a 2008 Mary I. Hill Homecare Aide of the Year Honorable Mention by the Illinois Association of Community Care Program Homecare Providers (IACCPHP). Brenda Young was given a gift certificate from WIMHS in appreciation for her dedicated service to the Agency and its clients.

5 Years of Service
Kathy Bewley, Personal Assistant
Rosemary Gardner, Personal Assistant
Mary Higgins, Personal Assistant
Sharon Keith, Western Cleaning Pro
Brenda Suydam, Western's Service Advocate/Nurse

10 Years of Service
Jen Podhajsky, Assistant Administrator

Pictured left to right: Kathy Bewley, PA; Mary Higgins, PA; Jen Podhajsky, Assistant Administrator; Barbara Byers, President/CEO; Brenda Suydam, Western's Service Advocate/Nurse. Not pictured: Rosemary Gardner, PA; Sharon Keith, Western Cleaning Pro.

In appreciation of her outstanding ability and dedication to provide quality in-home service, we are pleased to announce that Brenda Young has been named as a 2008 Mary I. Hill Homecare Aide of the Year Honorable Mention. This award was given by the Illinois Association of Community Care Program Homecare Providers (IACCPHP) at their annual recognition luncheon on May 7th at the Governor's Mansion in Springfield, IL.

Brenda has been with Western Illinois Managed Home Services for 17 years and is a devoted worker to the elderly. One of her nominators, Director of Support Services, Alice Stenander, mentioned that Brenda "finds ways to meet her clients' needs with little resources and without seeking recognition and credit for what she has done." WIMHS President, Barbara Byers, also nominated Brenda because she "has a personality that is contagious and brings great joy and comfort to her clients. The clients feel relaxed and secure when she is there. Brenda is dedicated to her work and clients. In the seventeen years that she has worked here, we could not recall a day that she missed work. She is a humble employee that does not seek attention or require supervision. I am honored to have her in our agency to serve our mission."

Western Illinois Managed Home Services is a sister agency to Western Illinois Home Health Care and offers personalized and professional homecare services that assist with both medical and non-medical needs. For more information, call the office at 1-800-515-9647.

IACCPHP is a state association of homecare providers whose mission is to educate public and legislative entities on the value of homecare services for the elderly. For more information on the Association and its programs, contact Sue Bohenstengal, Executive Director, at (708) 488-8995.

Congratulations, Brenda, on a job well done!

Monmouth, IL, March 1, 2008 - Western Illinois Home Health Care today announced that it has been named to the 2007 HomeCare Elite, a compilation of the most successful Medicare-certified home health care providers in the United States. This annual review identifies the top 25% of agencies, ranked by an analysis of performance measures in quality outcomes, quality improvement and financial performance.

The 2007 HomeCare Elite also indicates those providers who are included in the Top 100 and Top 500 of providers nationwide. The data used for this analysis was compiled from publicly available information.
"We applaud the success of all the providers named to the 2007 HomeCare Elite," said Bill Bassett, Senior Director of Market Strategy at OCS, Inc. "Being noted as one of the top performers in the nation in this very competitive environment shows that Western Illinois Home Health Care is dedicated to quality and performance."

Western Illinois Home Health Care's President/CEO, Barbara Byers, credits the use of home care computer documentation for over 15 years and their computer based system analysis with the company's ability to rank as one of the HomeCare Elite. Mrs. Byers said, "It is the combination of these factors that enables us to direct staff in managing care outcomes."

"Making the 2007 HomeCare Elite is commendable in today's highly competitive home health care industry," said Jonathan Stern, Group Publisher of DecisionHealth's Home Health Group. "We congratulate Western Illinois Home Health Care on being one of the top 25% best performing home care agencies in the country."

The 2007 HomeCare Elite is the only performance recognition of its kind in the home health industry. The 2007 HomeCare Elite is brought to the industry by OCS, Inc., the leading provider of healthcare informatics and DecisionHealth, publisher of home care's most respected independent newsletter Home Health Line. The entire list of the 2007 HomeCare Elite agencies can be viewed by visiting the OCS web site at www.ocsys.com.

About OCS, Inc.
OCS is the market leader in healthcare information solutions. By collecting, evaluating and interpreting healthcare information, we empower leaders with data-driven insight that helps optimize mission-critical decision making. OCS combines the richness of the nation's most comprehensive post-acute Data Warehouse with cutting-edge analysis tools, consulting services and custom technology solutions. Our information-based solutions facilitate providers, payors, industry analysts, consultants, Federal and state governments, medical products and pharmaceutical companies with advancing their missions using objective, independent information that is not available from other sources. Learn more at www.ocsys.com or call 1-888-325-3396.

About DecisionHealth
DecisionHealth™ serves the business and regulatory needs of health care providers and their administrative staffs nationwide, including home health agencies. We offer more than 50 independent newsletters, magazines, books, websites and loose-leaf services, and sponsor many professional seminars, conferences and expos. Among our home health services are Home Health Line, Home Care Outcomes, the Complete Home Health ICD-9-CM Diagnosis Coding Manual, Private Duty Insider, Diagnosis Coding Pro for Home Health and Success in Home Care magazine. Please visit our website at www.homehealthinteractive.com or call 1-877-602-3835.