September
11th, 2015
To: Residents and Families of Merrill
Gardens at First Hill
From: Tommy Tomlinson, CALA
General Manager
Merrill Gardens at First Hill
Hello,
I would
like to introduce myself. I am your new General Manager, Tommy Tomlinson.
I
come to Merrill Gardens at First Hill (MGFH) with over 20 years of experience
in the senior care profession. I am a nationally accredited Assisted Living
Administrator with a degree in Organization Management. I have worked for
Merrill Gardens previously and also at First Hill when it was Faerland Terrace
prior to 2010. I was really pleased to see staff and residents that have
remained through the transitions over the years. It feels like home.
I
realize change is hard on everyone and good communication is key to ensuring
that any change is conveyed. I will put out periodic memos and have also
scheduled a Town Hall Meeting for residents and families on October 15th at 6:30 p.m.
This will give us a time to chat and get to know each other. In the meantime
please feel free to stop by my office, email me at tommyt@merrillgardens.com, or give
me a call at (206) 624-7637. If you would like to meet with me privately, let me
know and we can schedule a time. I look forward to getting to know all of you
and am very excited to be home again.
Quick updates
Podiatrist
Dr. Hoy has discontinued his services at First Hill. However, we are
proud to announce a new partnership with podiatrist Franco M. Bacerdo, DPM, who
will be providing services at our community going forward. Dr. Bacerdo
has been serving the Lynnwood and Fremont areas for over 20 years. He is
a familiar face at many of our Merrill Gardens communities and we are pleased
to have him join us at First Hill. Podiatrist appointments are available
starting at 9:00 a.m., and he accepts many types of insurance. Please
contact the front desk for more information, to sign up for appointments, and
to obtain new patient paperwork for Dr. Bacerdo.
During
our most recent Resident Council meeting the residents stated that their number
one concern was laundry. With that as a goal I am looking to hire additional
housekeeping staff and will assign a team member to assist with the laundry. I
hope all will see an improvement soon. Please realize that our standard is to
return laundry within 24 hours. If you don’t currently have a Merrill Gardens
mesh bag please let us know and we will issue one to you.
Books
of postage stamps will now be available for purchase at the front desk.
During
my walk about the community I have noticed several apartment doors propped
open. Please do not prop your apartment doors open. Propping apartment doors
open is against fire regulations. Staff will close any door that is propped
open after notifying you.
Unfortunately
Craig Martin, our Community Relations Director, has left us to seek new
opportunities. We wish him the best in
his future endeavors.
New team members
Our
new front desk team member is Taite Montgomery. Taite comes to us with great
experience in senior living, business and support. She will be at the front
desk Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Please stop by the front desk
and introduce yourself.
Our
new Assisted Living Supervisor is Rose David. She comes to us with a long
history in senior care, and has been in the community over the past few weeks
giving us temporary help. As of August 20th she is permanently on
staff in the Assisted Living Supervisor position. Rose will supervise and
oversee all Assisted Living services staff.
We
also have some wonderful new hires in our Lifestyle department! Leo Leone has
joined our Active Living team as Assistant Active Living Director, and Danielle
Bacque will be joining us in Garden House as our full-time Personal Pathways
Coordinator.
Please
welcome all of our new team members.
If you
have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I look forward to
getting to know you all.
