Life Care welcomes new director

After a lifetime of experience in the nursing profession, Josh Hannum now joins the Life Care Center of Ritzville in a new role as executive director. Hannum, originally from Spokane, has spent the past two weeks serving as the director for the center and is excited to be a part of the community and Life Care.

Hannum’s experience in long-term nursing care has been developed over the course of his lifetime. His knowledge and understanding of nursing home facilities stems back to his childhood when his interest in the field subconsciously began.

“My mom had an adult family home for 20 years so I grew up around this demographic,” Hannum explained.

Hannum said the family had the unique experience of living within the home and after graduation; Hannum pursued a career in nursing, based on his knowledge of long term care. He worked as a nursing assistant for 10 years in Spokane before moving to Vancouver and continuing his career and education there.

During his time working in the Portland and Vancouver area, Hannum worked his way through all of the departments and positions involved with long-term nursing facilities. Hannum explained that working in a variety of positions has helped him gain a better understanding for how the different departments within a nursing home work together to create the best overall experience for the residents.

Hannum served as a manager for a distribution company before returning to school to earn a degree from George Fox University. After completion of his degree, he spent three years working in the administration and training department at a skilled nursing facility before earning an assistant administrator position.

The position as executive director is one that Hannum is prepared for and excited to serve in. He said he is impressed by the team already on staff at the center and believes the nursing facility has a strong foundation already in place.

On a day-to-day basis, Hannum manages the nurses, maintenance workers and administrative staff members in the facility. His previous experience in all of the fields has helped him adapt quickly and be able to easily identify if there is any need for improvement within a department.

“I’m looking forward to getting to know the community,” Hannum said.

“My goal is for the building to grow a little bit and to sustain the building as a whole,” Hannum added.

Hannum said his personal goal as an administrator is to grow with the facility and to insure staff members are doing the same thing.

“I’m not here to change things,” Hannum explained. “I want to make sure to keep the beds full and sustain the high quality of care we give. I want the facility as a whole to be more involved with the community.”

For Hannum, Ritzville serves as a perfect location for him and his family as it is a quiet community and is still in close proximity to Spokane, where his family still resides. Hannum and his wife Nicole have a two-year-old son Johnny and are currently expecting a daughter at the beginning of May.

While Hannum is hoping to have the center more involved with the community, he is looking forward to learning more about the area and having his family join in local activities. Hannum said the family is moving to Ritzville permanently from Vancouver following the birth of their daughter.

With a strong foundation in place at the center, Hannum said he is planning to build on it to help secure the long-term viability of the facility, while simultaneously providing high quality care. “I see a really great future from here. I want to continue that legacy,” he said.

Hannum said as a business, it is important to be sustainable, but Life Care Center of Ritzville is different from many businesses. At the end of the day, Hannum said the primary concern and focus of all of the staff members within the center is the residents and insuring they are receiving the best care possible.

“It’s important to remember the reason why we’re here is them,” Hannum said.

Hannum is excited to see the center grow and continue to provide excellent long-term care to the residents, and is equally as excited to become a member of the Ritzville community. He works Monday through Friday at Life Care Center of Ritzville and can be contacted at 659-1700.