Life Care Center of Federal Way names new executive director
Samantha L’Allier was recently named executive director at Life Care Center of Federal Way, a skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility.
“Samantha is a dedicated and caring administrator who will ensure our patients are taken care of in a professional manner,” said Nancy Butner, vice president of parent company Life Care Centers of America’s Cascades Region. “The quality of services provided is her top priority, and she will do whatever it takes to ensure our staff meet their needs.”
L’Allier most recently served as interim administrator for Life Care Center of Kirkland. Prior to that appointment, she was administrator for two facilities in Eureka, California, – Pacific Rehabilitation and Wellness Center for more than eight years and Fortuna Rehabilitation and Wellness Center for two years. She started her career in senior care at age 17 as a dishwasher and has worked in several roles, including business office manager, before becoming an administrator.
“My mom was a certified nursing assistant, so I grew up in skilled nursing facilities and home care,” L’Allier said. “I like giving back to the community and being part of something greater than myself.”
Originally from Eureka, L’Allier has a master’s degree in health care administration from the University of Phoenix and a bachelor’s degree in business management from Humboldt State University in Arcata, California. She lives in Edgewood.
Life Care Center of Federal Way, located at 1045 S. 308th St., is one of 16 skilled nursing and rehabilitation facilities in Washington managed by Life Care Centers of America.
Founded in 1976, Life Care is a nationwide health care company. With headquarters in Cleveland, Tennessee, Life Care manages more than 200 nursing, post-acute and Alzheimer’s centers in 28 states. For more information about Life Care, visit lcca.com.
Mill Ridge Village employees earn awards
Three professionals will be recognized by hundreds of their peers at the Washington Health Care Association (WHCA) conference in Spokane on May 23 for excellence in their roles at Mill Ridge Village and El Dorado West.
Jennifer Reich of Mill Ridge Village in Milton is being named Executive Director of the Year, and her Resident Care Director, Danniell Guffey, will be introduced as Nurse of the Year. Terri Wright of El Dorado in Burien won the Red Carpet award for outstanding quality. Winners are nominated by their peers and supervisors and then vetted by the WHCA award committee.
“I feel so honored to be recognized,” Guffey said. “Winning this has been on my bucket list from the beginning of my career.”
“I first met Dannie when she started her career as a caregiver at an assisted living Village Concepts community,” Reich said. “She was working her way through nursing school, and I was honored to have her as my nurse when the opportunity arose.”
Guffey says that working with Reich has been rewarding.
“Jennifer and our Mill Ridge team have had deficiency-free state surveys for the four years,” Guffey said. “She knows the business of assisted living and works hard to make sure all departments are in compliance.”
Mill Ridge Village and El Dorado West offer independent and assisted living. Both are part of Village Concepts, a third-generation, family-owned business with 17 properties in Western Washington.
TJ grad opens counseling practice
Dr. Laura Wallace, a 2003 graduate from Thomas Jefferson High School recently opened the doors of Twin Lakes Counseling in the Twin Lakes Plaza.
Wallace is a graduate of the United World College in Italy and Carlton College in Minnesota. After graduation, she moved to New Haven, Connecticut, to serve with Teach for America as a third grade teacher, earning her teaching certificate while attending Southern Connecticut State University for her master’s degree in marriage and family therapy.
After several years of community and private practice, she moved to San Antonio, Texas to pursue her doctorate degree at St. Mary’s University where she focused on classroom-based mental health support for at-risk students.
By opening Twin Lakes Counseling, Wallace said she hopes that she and her counselors will be able to bring their care, compassion and mental health expertise to serve the Federal Way community and surrounding areas.
— For the Mirror
