Good Samaritan Society leader elected to national board
Contact:
Tess Hedrick
Sanford Health Media Relations
605-366-2432 / tess.hedrick@sanfordhealth.org
SIOUX FALLS, SD – Heather Herlyn, MS, RN, CPHQ, Director of Quality and Safety at the Good Samaritan Society has been elected to serve as a member of the American Healthcare Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) Quality Award Board through 2026.
Herlyn oversees all aspects of the Good Samaritan Society’s quality program, including quality measurement, performance improvement, accreditation and infection prevention. She and her team work closely with regional leadership and directly with locations to help prioritize and improve quality metrics and survey outcomes.
“Heather is an extraordinary leader whose dedication to excellence and quality is contagious,” said Nate Schema, Good Samaritan Society president and CEO. “I am beyond proud to have her representing the industry at the national level and be a driving force in the advancement of high quality care for long term care residents across the nation.”
The National Quality Award program uses the Baldrige Performance Framework to help long term care organizations improve outcomes through a focus on system-wide performance excellence. By working through three progressive levels, providers meet rigorous program standards to become the best in long term care. The Quality Award Board provides integral oversight and strategic development of the program.
“I am honored to have the opportunity to work alongside industry leaders to advocate for our nation’s seniors and improve their quality of care,” said Herlyn. “I look forward to being a resource to ensure locations have everything they need to provide the best care to their residents.”
Good Samaritan Society-Ambassador in New Hope, Minn., was a recipient of the 2022 Silver – Achievement in Quality Award. The Silver Award is the second of three distinctions possible through the AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program.
About the Good Samaritan Society
The Good Samaritan Society is one of the largest not-for-profit providers for senior care and services in the United States with more than 200 locations in 21 states. Its services include senior living, long-term care, rehabilitation therapy, home-based services and more. For 100 years, the organization has been dedicated to sharing God’s love through the work of health, healing and comfort. Learn more about the Good Samaritan Society at good-sam.com.
About Sanford Health
Sanford Health, the largest rural health system in the United States, is dedicated to transforming the health care experience and providing access to world-class health care in America’s heartland. Headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the organization serves more than one million patients and 220,000 health plan members across 250,000 square miles. The integrated health system has 47 medical centers, 2,800 Sanford physicians and advanced practice providers, 170 clinical investigators and research scientists, more than 200 Good Samaritan Society senior care locations and world clinics in 8 countries around the globe. Learn more about Sanford Health’s commitment to shaping the future of rural health care across the lifespan at sanfordhealth.org or Sanford Health News.
