Office of Patient Safety, Accreditation & Regulatory Services
Tribute to our Nurse Mock Surveyors

At the Corporate level, Peola Small each participates with the Office of Patient Safety, Accreditation and Regulatory Services in the mock JCAHO survey process. Mock surveyors volunteer their time and services and receive regular training to enable them to help their sister facilities assess readiness for a JCAHO survey. We are extremely grateful to Peola for her unfailing support of our JCAHO readiness activities and for their commitment to quality and patient safety.

Peola Small, RN has been a mock JCAHO surveyor of our long term care facilities for a long time, ever since her tenure at Sea View. Her administrative and nursing experience, long term care expertise and knowledge of state and federal regulations has made her an invaluable and important member of our team. Over the years, our cadre of long term care mock surveyors has changed, but Peola has been a constant. Her grace, dedication, wealth of knowledge and commitment to quality and safety has served us and her sister facilities in good stead. Our long term care facilities consistently perform well on all surveys. We are honored to have Peola Small on our team.

Peola Velma Small R.N obtained a Bachelors Degree in HealthCare Administration, Master’s Degree in Public Administration and in 1999 received a Nursing Home Administrator’s License.

In 1989 she joined Health and Hospitals Corporation at Sea View Hospital & Home where she started as an Associate Director of Nursing and was later promoted to Director of Nursing. Ms. Small was given the opportunity to join the HHC Mock Survey team and continues to be active since 1999.

In 1998 she accepted the position of Director of Patient Care Services at Dr. Susan Smith McKinney Nursing and Rehabilitation Center with responsibilities for ensuring enhancement/improvement for all residents.

Ms. Small has participated in a project coordinated by the Foundation of Long Term Care (FLTC) which focused on upgrading LPN to RN (a work study program). She also served on the Advisory Board and contributed to the success of “Peer Monitoring for CNAs” which won a best practice award.

Currently Ms. Small is a member of the FLTC Research Advisory Board. The mission is to improve by research and education, the delivery of care for an aging society.

Ms Small has worked ardently with other staff on the implementation and coordination of the Patient Safety goals within the facility. The most effective is the processes established for Patient Safety: - Goal #1 Improve the accuracy of resident identification. Resident identifiers are: an ID band and photo. Quality Assurance indicator monitored – “All residents must wear an ID band.” A framed photo of the resident is placed over the resident’s bed; a photo of the resident is placed on the medex and treatment sheet.

Ms. Small is a valued member of the facility’s Care Committee. Quarterly Patient Safety goals are reviewed, compliance monitored and systemic changes recommended, if needed, to improve outcome. The Facility’s Administrative staff proudly recommends Ms. Peola Velma Small to receive the Patient Safety Award.