Among hundreds of nominations, three Brightview nurses were chosen as 2024 Baltimore Magazine's Excellence in Nursing Award Winners! Please join us in congratulating April Ames, Amanda Llorens, and Nancy Maina.
April Ames, Senior Health Services Director, Brightview Bel Air
Like many successful directors at Brightview Bel Air, April joined the company as a Resident Assistant while attending nursing school. She was a Cardiac Nurse at Upper Chesapeake Hospital and then worked as a nurse at Brightview Avondell before supporting Brightview Bel Air in a time of need. It was during this time that April asked for the Health Services Director position. April is extremely organized, thorough, precise, timely, dependable, and has strong conviction. She advocates for safety and resident and associate well-being.
As one of only two Senior Health Services Directors in the Baltimore region, April often supports other Brightview communities in the area. She also participates in Quality Assurance visits in the region on behalf of the Health & Wellness team. Throughout her entire tenure at Brightview Bel Air, April has been praised for her patience, thoroughness, and understanding. She was awarded the Brightview Coach of the Year Award in 2015 as a testament to her skills as a leader.
A grateful family member wrote it best when describing his father-in-law’s care under April’s team: “My father-in-law was living in Wellspring Village [Brightview’s dementia care neighborhood] and my mother-in-law in the assisted living area. We had been so concerned about my father-in-law, but April Ames, the main nurse, advised us to make a few changes with him and his treatment – and the change in him was almost miraculous!! We are so thankful for April's care! My father-in-law was probably close to the end stage of his dementia when he moved into Wellspring Village. But with April's help and suggestions, and all the rest of the Wellspring staff, we truly believe the last 2 months of his life were the happiest my father-in-law had in a long time.”
Amanda Llorens, Area Wellness Nurse
Brightview’s Regional Health leadership team had long held the idea of having a team of Float Nurses to provide additional backup for the important Wellness Nurse role. When approached to be the first person in this new role, Amanda accepted. After three months of working in this role, the value and feasibility of this new position were apparent. Thanks to Amanda’s courage and blind trust in her team, Brightview has an Area Wellness team that ensures the high standard of Brightview care remains in every community at all times.
The organization's need for Area Wellness nurses was never more apparent than during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Although she initially only served communities in the Maryland area, Brightview’s Massachusetts communities were hit hard early with positive COVID cases. Amanda agreed to travel to Massachusetts to assist a community that had many communities out sick. She willingly drove to a state where she had no ties to care for residents she did not know with an illness that many were very afraid of at that time. She stayed long enough that the associates from that community had recovered and returned to work.
Upon return to Maryland, Amanda and the other Area Wellness Nurses were routinely sent to communities with outbreaks to fill in for sick associates. They also became Brightview’s COVID testing crew and became proficient in the practice of fit testing for N95s. Whatever was needed, Amanda and the other float nurses rose to the occasion.
For the past 11 years, Amanda has served Brightview residents, families, and associates with dedication, courage, and excellence. As Amanda says, every day with her residents reminds her of her grandparents and gives her an opportunity to feel close to them even after their passing. She is honored to care for seniors and cherishes their stories.
Nancy Maina, Senior Health Services Director at Brightview Severna Park
As Health Services Director, Nancy is responsible for providing clinical leadership and oversight to ensure the delivery of high-quality care across the community’s Assisted Living and Dementia Care neighborhoods. However, Nancy often follows up on day-to-day resident care, going above and beyond performing clinical assessments. Her team jokes that she is never in her office because she is on the floor of the neighborhood, helping with laundry, helping pass medications, or sitting with residents during their meals.
Nancy’s outstanding commitment to her residents, families, and associates is a direct testament to her heart for service. As one family member writes, “The dedication to Nancy’s position at Brightview is beyond compare as she often stays late in the day to assist my parents and family with medical and psychological challenges.” A fellow community director further elaborated, “Nancy will take the time to go step by step down a resident’s service plan to ensure families and their loved ones completely understand the care we provide, its value, and why it’s in place. Even if the meeting takes hours, literally, Nancy remains dedicated to ensuring communication is concise, and the partnerships we have with our families are harmonious.”
As a Senior Health Services Director, Nancy doesn’t shy away from coaching or teaching any associate, no matter what department they work in! She sees coaching moments as opportunities for the entire community team to grow. She gives associates a safe space to make mistakes and to ask questions free of judgment. Most importantly, Nancy leads by example. As a fellow community director wrote, “I have personally witnessed Nancy showing an associate how to walk with a resident to support them, stopping what she was doing. She is never too busy to train in the moment.”
Brightview Senior Living builds, owns, and operates award-winning vibrant senior living communities in eight states along the East Coast: Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Virginia. We offer senior Independent Living, Assisted Living, Enhanced Care, and Wellspring Village™, a specialized neighborhood for people living with Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. Schedule a personal visit to experience our communities firsthand.