Future Leader: Chelsey Ammons, Care Advantage’s Vice President of Nursing

The Future Leaders Awards program is brought to you in partnership with PointClickCare. The program is designed to recognize up-and-coming industry members who are shaping the next decade of senior housing, skilled nursing, home health and hospice care. To see this year’s future leaders, visit https://futureleaders.agingmedia.com/.

Chelsey Ammons, vice president of nursing at Richmond, Virginia-based Care Advantage, has been named a 2021 Future Leader by Home Health Care News.

To become a Future Leader, an individual is nominated by their peers. The candidate must be a high-performing employee who is 40-years-old or younger, a passionate worker who knows how to put vision into action, and an advocate for seniors, and the committed professionals who ensure their well-being.

Ammons sat down with HHCN to talk about how family ties led her to a career in health care, the importance of interoperability and home care’s place in the larger continuum of care.

HHCN: What drew you to this industry?

Ammons: My father was a pharmacist. I spent days and nights in the pharmacy watching his compassionate interactions with his patients. He made such a difference in their lives, and at that point, I knew I wanted to do something in health care, so I could have the same effect. Also, my mother was in nursing school when she became pregnant with me. Unfortunately, due to complications with the pregnancy, she had to drop out. In a way, I’ve always said I did this to help fulfill her dreams as well as mine.

What’s your biggest lesson learned since starting to work in this industry?

It takes a village. In the beginning, I was honestly not the best at delegation. I would try to take anything and everything on, but soon realized this just would not work. It takes an entire team working cohesively toward a common goal to truly make things happen. Our team calls ourselves a family — and we genuinely mean that. We make decisions together, and we work hard together every day, just as a family does, to achieve those positive outcomes.

If you could change one thing with an eye toward the future of home-based care, what would it be?

Ease of interoperability. We develop relationships and partners within our community, but making the communication and transfer of information easier will take that a step further. It excites me to think about what this would mean for our patients and their outcomes. Plus, what it would mean for all agencies and company operations across the board to have that communication access, that information. It would just make such a difference.

What do you foresee as being different about the home-based care industry looking ahead to 2022?

I would say increased use of technology and innovation. One thing we had to do during the pandemic was find ways to increase our efficiency and effectiveness, mainly regarding the delivery of care and oversight, but still maintain focus on improving population health.

We learned how to be better virtually, and our communication and accessibility improved. I hope we will hold onto the lessons learned from the pandemic and let that continue to shape our industry.

In a word, how would you describe the future of home-based care?

The single word I say is “continuum.” We’ve worked very hard to ensure home care is recognized as a part of the care continuum. In the future, I know this will become even more evident. We are very focused on outcomes and proving what a positive difference home care makes. The data collection that’s occurring today will make that an even easier argument tomorrow.

What quality must all future leaders possess?

A top quality is gratitude. If the past 18 months have taught us anything in health care, it’s that we are resilient and we can overcome. As a leader, it’s important to make sure your team sees sincere appreciation and understanding for what they do every single day. It’s very difficult work, especially in times like today, and a good future leader is always empathetic to this.

If you could give advice to yourself looking back to your first day in the industry, what would it be and why?

Have confidence and don’t be afraid to speak up. Knowing that what you do makes a difference, that the work that you do is meaningful and purposeful, and ensuring that those around you understand this makes such a difference in the attitude and culture of a company.

When you drive with purpose, you should never be afraid to make ideas known. That idea could change many lives.

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