Connie Hawley

Connie Hawley, CNHA

Email: Connie.Hawley@kissitohealthcare.org

Prior to coming to Kissito, Connie Hawley began her career in health care as a licensed practical nurse at a county hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. The rotating shifts required by policy for this job were difficult for a mother of two which led Hawley’s search for a more regular schedule. That search brought her to the nursing home setting—and a better schedule was just the catalyst that would lead Hawley to fall in love with geriatrics and spend the rest of her career in that setting.

Hawley spent 10 years in the long term care setting while attending night classes to earn a bachelor’s in administration from Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri. After graduation, she worked for Healthcare Corporation at Cori Manor, gaining her first experience as an administrator. Following her time there, she spent about 15 years working for Life Care Services as administrator for a retirement community and about five years at Life Care Centers of America also as administrator.

Before interviewing  for the position of Chief Administrative Officer for Kissito, Hawley researched and discovered that Palm View had a history of delivering quality care in Arizona and also learned about some of the exciting things that Kissito was doing all over the world—triggering her excitement in working for the company.

Once hired, working in the diverse environment of a nursing home was something Hawley valued in her position—in addition to never having time to be bored. Days are full of census and PPS meetings, staying up to date on the new renovations currently taking place at Palm View, reviewing labor, spending down accounts, managing staffing issues, conference calls, reviewing flash reports and accounts receivable, diffusing lost hearing aide situations, working on special projects or letters—all the while making time to grab a hot dog at Circle K for lunch and pass along a friendly hello to staff and residents in between tasks. One of Palm View’s residents regularly brings a picture or sings a song for Hawley, which she recalled fondly.  Hawley expressed excitement about the renovation taking place at Palm View.  In order to accomplish great things, a little dust must be kicked up.

Hawley is thankful for the opportunity to work with great people including staff, residents, families and Kissito management.  She contends that there are not many companies that make it so easy to pick up the phone and speak with the Chief Operating Officer, making Kissito special and rare—even where the outsider can’t see it. A family member regularly stops to see Hawley each night on his way to visit with his mother, telling her almost every time how happy he is to have his mother at Palm View because she gets good care there and the staff treats her well.  This kind of reinforcement at the end of a long day is a great encouragement.

In the few months as the new CAO of Palm View, Hawley feels confident that she made the right choice to come.   Palm View is soon going to be the most beautiful facility in Yuma and, she maintains, will continue to have the best care in town. Her hope is that through her effort, residents will receive the quality care they need and that the staff will ultimately feel great about their work.