Anna Ortigara, Person-Centered Care and Culture Change Expert, Joins PHI
Bronx, NY — PHI is pleased to announce that Anna Ortigara, a pioneer in the "person-centered" approach to providing care and facilitating culture change in long-term care settings, has joined the PHI Coaching and Consulting Services team.
In her position as a PHI organizational change consultant, Ortigara will support eldercare and disability service providers in creating cultures that embrace quality care, quality jobs, and quality of life across long-term care settings.
PHI Coaching and Consulting Services provides education and change-management services that strengthen leadership, communication, and team-building skills in long-term care organizations. Using the PHI Coaching ApproachSM, a comprehensive suite of skill-building and change-management tools, the CCS team provides staff with the skills necessary to engage in proactive communication and team-based problem solving.
"Anna Ortigara has been a national nurse leader in transforming long-term care," said Susan Misiorski, director of PHI Coaching and Consulting Services. "Her contribution to the culture change movement has been enormous. We are thrilled to have Anna on board; her expertise will help to further expand PHI's ability to transform eldercare and disability services and supports throughout the nation."
Ortigara's dedication to the fields of gerontology and long-term care spans more than three decades. She began her career as a registered nurse and has focused since on working with elders in a variety of settings, including nursing homes, adult day care, and home care.
For the past six years, Ortigara was with The Green House Project, a physical and philosophical model for nursing homes that encourages person-centerednessin small residential houses. While there, she worked closely with PHI to adapt the PHI Coaching Approach to fit the Green House® model.
"I am delighted to join the esteemed PHI Coaching and Consulting Services team because PHI has been a leader in the culture change movement from the start," Ortigara said. "I have worked closely with PHI for many years and appreciate the opportunity to be a part of the staff to help managers develop the skills needed to put person-directed values and theory into practice at a range of long-term care settings."
Ortigara is president of the board of the Pioneer Network, a leader in advocating for person-directed care and the culture change movement. She is also a fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, and the primary author of LEAP for the 21st Century LTC Workforce. She has also served as vice president of culture change at Life Services Network of Illinois, director of residential care services for the Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center in Chicago, and associate director of Long Term Care Accreditation at the Joint Commission.
Ortigara frequently presents on culture change, dementia, and other long-term care issues at national and international conferences. A published author, Ortigara most recently contributed a chapter to the book Models and Pathways for Person-Centered Elder Care (Health Professions Press, 2013).
Ortigara received her Master of Science in Nursing at Northern Illinois University.
To learn more about PHI Coaching and Consulting Services and the PHI Coaching Approach, visit the website.
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PHI, the Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute, works to transform eldercare and disability services, fostering dignity, respect, and independence — for all who receive care, and all who provide it. The nation's leading authority on the direct-care workforce, PHI promotes quality direct-care jobs as the foundation for quality care.
Deane Beebe, PHI Media Relations Director, 718-928-2033, 646-285-1039 (cell), dbeebe@phinational.org
