Ministerial services launched at Westwood nursing center

Touchstone Communities, a growing provider of skilled healthcare communities in Texas and Arizona, today announced that its employees at Westwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Troup are being provided free, confidential chaplain service as a corporate benefit to each staff member. The non-denominational ministers visit the staff at the skilled-care home every week.

"We're in the people business and it's important that we offer our employees as much support as we expect them to provide each of our residents," said Brenda Fifield, director of nursing for Westwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. "This is another way that we invest in our employees and their family members, which should help them be better prepared to care for others."

Westwood staff will be supported by Marketplace Chaplains, an employee care provider. Local chaplain teams are specifically selected and trained to serve both employees and their families. Services range from confidential pasto-

ral discussions to weddings, hospital visits, jail visits and funerals. The chaplains are part of a non-profit organization and do not represent company management.

"This service supports the good health of our team," said Carl Fellbaum, president of Touchstone Communities, parent of Westwood. "In addition to offering counsel on traditional issues like personal problems, the ministers also help with grief management and special occasions. Our organization operates as a family and we tr y to anticipate and suppor t ever y individual's need."

Westwood has provided premier healthcare to senior members of the community for more than 35 years. The on-site team specializes in both rehabilitative services - designed to help patients regain the skills needed to return to their homes as soon as possible - and skilled nursing, which provides long-term care under the supervision of a house physician.