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Good Samaritan Society leaders earn prestigious awards

The program honors standouts in skilled nursing, senior living and home care

SIOUX FALLS, SD – Three Good Samaritan Society leaders have been recognized as 2023 McKnight’s Women of Distinction Award winners.

The highly competitive recognition program, honors standouts in skilled nursing, senior living and home care. All nominees’ credentials, backgrounds and results are studied by a national, independent panel of judges.

The Hall of Honor awards category recognizes women who are at a level equivalent to vice president or higher and who have had a significant effect on their organization or industry.

“Aimee’s leadership has been instrumental, traveling near and far to help support locations across the Society,” said Nate Schema, president and CEO of the Good Samaritan Society. “Aimee’s compassion and operational expertise are second to none. She has the unique ability to coach and influence those around her who may not see the magnitude of a situation quite as quickly as she does. The best way I can describe it is that she can hug you and push you at the same time. We are blessed to call Aimee a member of the Good Samaritan Society family and we are so proud of her for receiving this well-deserved honor.”

The Rising Star awards category honors women who have fewer than 15 years of experience in the skilled nursing, senior living or home care fields or are 40 years old or younger. All have demonstrated an exceptional commitment at the community, facility, agency or corporate level.

“Katie is the epitome of servant leadership,” says Kelly Honstad, director of nursing at Good Samaritan Society – Albert Lea. “In addition to her own duties, Katie can be seen cleaning rooms, mopping floors and serving meal trays to residents. Katie is focused on excellence and drives members of our team to do the same. She works with the team to set goals to keep our facility moving forward, no matter what the obstacle may be.”

“Desirae is a great leader who gives great direction and is always willing to help,” said Krista Menzel, nursing supervisor at Sanford Hospice in Sioux Falls, SD. “If she doesn’t know something, she makes sure she gets the answer and shares it with the team. She treats all employees well and includes them in decision making. She has organized team building events and tries to create work life balance for everyone.”

The McKnight’s Women of Distinction Awards program will culminate with an awards ceremony in Chicago on May 22.

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 22 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.