Elant At Wappingers Falls Executive Director Named New Administrator Of The Year

April 1, 2010 - PRLog -- Elant at Wappingers Falls Executive Director Dana Diorio-Casey was recently named “New Administrator of the Year” by the New York Chapter of the American College of Health Care Administrators.

The award is given to those who have demonstrated exceptional commitment and potential in the areas of administrative capability, leadership, innovation, creativity, motivation, and attitude, as well as potential for leadership in the College. Dana was presented the honor at the 41st Annual Convention at The Villa Roma Resort in Callicoon, N.Y. in March.

“Dana focuses on the issues that residents and families want in a nursing and rehabilitation facility,” Elant Senior Vice President of Operations Nick Lanza said. “Then she works hard to implement those changes that have an impact on quality of care, activities programming, and the overall environment. It’s a motivation exhibited by all of our administrators, and we heartedly congratulate her.”

Dana joined Elant, a non-profit network of campuses in the Hudson Valley, as social work intern in 1997. Since then she has continued to expand her education and has excelled in various positions, eventually being named as the executive director of one of Elant’s two Dutchess County nursing homes.

Dana has been instrumental in the creation of four separate programs that were awarded Innovative Practice awards by the New York State Health Facilities Association over the last several years. The most recent award was for Elderact, created in 2007 at Elant at Wappingers Falls. The program was developed in collaboration with the Wappingers Falls Rotary Club to provide seniors a means of giving back to their communities through volunteer projects.

Some of those projects have included the assembly and donation of gift baskets for a local battered women’s shelter, the donation of home-made dog biscuits to the local animal shelter, and the assembly of more than 400 hot cocoa bags for troops serving overseas.

In addition to her most recent honors, Dana was also the recipient of the Southern Dutchess Chamber of Commerce 40 Under 40 Shaker Award in 2007, and she received the Orange County Chamber of Commerce Rising Star Award in 2009.

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Elant, Inc., a community-based, not-for-profit organization, has been a part of the Hudson Valley healthcare landscape for the past 25 years. Its seven campuses, located across five counties, serve an estimated 3,500 people daily and provide sub-acute care and rehabilitation services, nursing home care, assisted living, adult day care, retirement community living, home health care, and a managed long-term care plan. Elant’s mission is to provide personalized, high-quality care and lifestyle options to persons of diverse generations, cultures, means, and needs.