For Immediate Release
November 22, 2016

Walter Hekimian Honored with Thomas E. Spindle Award 

                                               Highest Honor from California’s Largest Long-Term Care Association

SACRAMENTO - The Board of Directors of the California Association of Health Facilities
(CAHF) presented Walter Hekimian of Huntington Beach with the prestigious Thomas E. Spindle Award at its annual convention in Palm Springs on Nov. 15.

The award recognizes an association member who has devoted considerable time and knowledge and provided exemplary service to CAHF at the facility, chapter and state-wide levels.

A longtime CAHF volunteer leader who served previously as the Chairman of the Board of the association, Hekimian is a skilled nursing home administrator at Edgemoor Hospital in Santee. Under his leadership, he has been recognized for numerous achievements, including a national, Not-for-Profit Program of the Year Award from the American Healthcare Association in 2013.

“Walter is a role model for young administrators in the long-term care profession,” said James Gomez, CEO/President of CAHF.  “He has been a steady contributor to the association as well as an exemplary administrator who is focused on delivering quality care to the residents he serves.”

Hekimian and his team at Edgemoor have achieved seven consecutive quarters of perfect Five-Star ratings from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services as well as a rare, zero-deficiency survey this year. His facility was recognized in 2014 with a national Silver Quality Award based on the Baldrige Health Care Criteria for Performance Excellence. In addition, Edgemoor has been named one of the Best Nursing Homes in the U.S for the past five years by U.S. News & World Reports.

Hekimian is the former CEO and administrator of the Ararat Home of Los Angeles where he also received four, zero-deficiency surveys over a five-year period.  

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Founded in 1950, the California Association of Health Facilities is a non-profit, professional organization representing more than 800 skilled-nursing facilities and 500 intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Each year, our 135,000 caregivers provide short-term rehabilitation, long-term care, end-of-life assistance and habilitative nursing services for 350,000 people. CAHF is the largest provider of continuing education for long-term care providers in California.  For more information, visit www.cahf.org or contact Deborah Pacyna, dpacyna@cahf.org