CLEARLAKE— Meadowood celebrated its 28th birthday on Feb. 14, 2020. Owners Tim and Carol Stewart came for a personal visit to the facility and joined staff in celebrating with a barbecue. Mr. Stewart said “that was the best hotdog!” as he mingled with all of the staff members. Mr. Stewart has been the CPA for Meadowood since the beginning and says “Meadowood has always been one of my favorite facilities!”
Meadowood began as a dream come to life for Calvin Baker Sr. and Calvin Baker, Jr., who were the prior owners and Administrators for many years. The public might be surprised to learn that Calvin Baker, Jr. built the facility since he was also a general contractor. Meadowood Nursing Center is a 99 bed post-acute facility in the City of Clearlake.
One of the Resident’s, Bobetta Merrill, remembers when she watched construction of the building. She lived only a couple of blocks away from Meadowood at the time. She recalls on the days she would walk and then rest across the street watching the big boulders being moved. She found this quite interesting and would stay longer than anticipated just to see the progress. Merrill could not have predicted that she would one day be a resident in the facility, but goes on to say with a big smile “Here I am in the place I watched being built!” And joyously adds that “She is glad to be here”.
In 2014 Cheryl Cole became the administrator and co-owner with the Stewarts. Cole created the mission statement, “Love is Spoken Here” and was awarded the AHCA National Bronze Award. During that time she also brought home a 4-Star rating status on the Medicare Nursing Home Compare platform. Cole passed away earlier this year after a battle with cancer. Her mission remains and the facility has a new administrator, David Hibarger.
Hibarger, who has over 42 years of experience with skilled nursing, has taken the reigns. When asked what he has planned for Meadowood he stated, “Well, I come from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles to settle in a smaller community. I found Meadowood to be a family oriented facility privately owned with some challenges to tackle.
“I am still up for challenges!”, he said with a chuckle. “I loved the area with its beautiful scenery and that’s what brought me to this wonderful facility.” Hibarger has many plans for Meadowood Nursing Center in the coming months including employment opportunities, improvements and community involvement. He has launched a new wound care program and is focused on successful short-term rehab and an “at home environment” for the residents. He is looking forward to the 4th annual car show in August and says he especially enjoys the center’s regular bake sales. He says, “I’m like a kid in a candy store with old cars!”
A longevity award was given to Pat Hacker, LVN who has been a nurse at Meadowood for 28 years. Hacker became the MDS assistant in 2006 and then MDS Coordinator in 2012. Before that she held a few other positions as treatment nurse, charge nurse and director of staff development. When asked “What has kept you here at Meadowood for 28 years?” she replied, “I have always felt this was a family atmosphere and residents and staff treat each other as family and friends.”
C.N.A.’s are the heart of the facility. Meadowood Nursing Center’s C.N.A. training program has put forth many excellent certified nursing assistants and even advanced them to careers as L.V.N.’s, R.N.’s and as other healthcare professionals. The facility celebrates its nurses’ excellent service and care given to the residents. They continuously enhance the quality of life, independence and dignity of the residents at Meadowood. Richard Bussear, C.N.A. has been at the center for almost 12 years. Bussear started as a C.N.A. and received special training to become a restorative aide and has been in this new position for two years. He enjoys coming to work and says, “Seeing these residents every day is the best part of my day”.
At the latest company in-service meeting a letter written by John Cole was read to the staff. The context of that letter was that it is a difficult time for residents and families when a loved one is in the center’s care and the mindset of the small staff members is that this is not a job – it’s a “Love!” and it takes a unique person to do this type of work. Staff members noted, “We are here to give the residents the best possible care and let our love and compassion emanate to them every day.”
