Cape facility ranks high, according to statistics

In a profession that measures quality by bed sores and weight loss, the Missouri Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau held its own in 2005.

The Missouri State Veterans Home Program recently released its 2005 Quality Outcome data showing that the state's seven homes, including Cape Girardeau, surpassed private nursing homes in Missouri and around the country.

The data included incidence of bed sores, unplanned weight loss, urinary tract infections and other signs of deficiency.

The amount of bed sores is one of most revealing measures of quality care, said Cape Girardeau Veterans Home administrator Jan Rau.

The state and national average for bed sores among long term care facilities in 2005 was 17 percent. Among Missouri's Veterans Home, the incident rate was 3 percent, and at the Cape Girardeau home it was 1 percent.

Another indicator is turnover among nursing assistants. In some homes Rau has worked at, that turnover has been as high as 100 percent, she said. At the local veterans home last year, it was 3 percent.

"It's a good feeling to be in a home that values and prizes quality care," said Rau.

The Cape Girardeau facility opened in 1990 and is undergoing a complete renovation.

-- Callie Clark Miller