Living Center Administrator named ‘Future Leader’ by national organization
“Now more than ever, we need to build a pipeline of diverse leaders for our profession,” said Mark Parkinson, president, and CEO of the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL). Among those leaders who will help build fresh approaches to long term care is Dave Armijo of Taos.
Armijo was chosen by the two assisted living organizations as a national, future leader in long term and post-acute care. He will join AHCA/NCAL’s Future Leaders program, a year-long program that offers training and guidance for industry professionals.
Armijo, administrator of the Taos Living Center, said he was “honored” to be named, “definitely honored, to be selected out of 74 administrators in the state.”
Parkinson continued, saying, “our profession has been through the most challenging year, and we need dedicated, up-and-coming leaders to continue to innovate and improve long term care. We are excited to work with Dave Armijo and help them develop their career and passion for serving our nation’s seniors.”
The announcement was made on Oct. 5 by the New Mexico Health Care Association, a professional trade association for facilitybased long-term care providers. Its mission is to support members and to promote individual quality of life for the people they serve. Armijo said he was nominated by Vicente Vargas, executive director of the New Mexico Health Care Association, for his “exemplary leadership” qualities.
During the four years he has been at the Taos Living Center Armijo said he has worked hard to turn the facility around financially while improving the care of the elderly and invalid clients, which currently number 55 in ages from the 50s up to a few centenarians. But, his biggest challenge during that time has been the coronavirus pandemic.
During 2020, the facility suffered one of most serious outbreaks in the community, according to the Taos News. At one point, in early Nov. 17 residents at the center tested positive, followed by two more less than a week later. Some staff also tested positive as well. But, the hardest thing to deal with, Armijo said, were the deaths that happened during that time.
“It’s been very emotional, very stressful, but we take it one day at a time,” he said. “That’s the only way to do it.”
As administrator, Armijo said he has seen the crisis evolve from the pandemic to one involving a staff shortage. “We have a nationwide staffing crisis and that’s the most challenging to overcome right now. A lot of baby boomers, a lot of the workforce took early retirement and so it’s kind of taxing the system across the board. And, that’s not just skilled nursing, it’s every industry.”
Armijo has managed “a staff of hundreds, and has learned what it means to serve an entire community. Not only is he responsible for providing quality care to our residents but he is also responsible for the employees and their families,” a press release states.
Part of that was addressed recently during an annual twoday symposium where Armijo met with U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM), an avowed advocate for long-term care residents and health care workers of New Mexico.
“We need direct-care staff, mainly Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA), and so what we’re encountering is a re-imagining of the position,” Armijo said he explained to Fernández. “Historically, they’ve been seen as a labor force and what we’re doing here at TLC is, switching them from a labor force to a professional health care worker, which they are, and they should be paid as such.”
Armijo is a Native New Mexican born in Las Vegas N.M. He is a graduate from New Mexico Highlands University with degree in Business Administration. He started his career in long term care in 2011. He obtained his license to practice nursing home administration in 2014. He has led multiple teams in various skilled nursing facilities across the state.
AHCA/NCAL developed the Future Leaders program in 2004. Selected participants demonstrate both leadership potential and represent the interests of state and national long term care providers. The program covers the latest theories and practical applications in quality management, customer satisfaction, and leadership.
The Taos Living Center is located at 1340 Maestas Road. Visit taoslivingcenter.com or call (575) 758-2300