“Coming here has been a breath of fresh air,” says Stephanie Kronlage, Atrium Village’s new administrator, who began working for the non-profit, Hills-based independent living and nursing care community in March. The Washington resident had been working for a larger nursing home in Muscatine, but “I needed to focus more on my family,” she says. “This has been perfect.”

She can’t say enough about the people she is blessed to work with.

“We have the most dedicated, hardworking, kindhearted, amazing staff,” she says. “We have 10 residents in the care center right now, and that allows us to have a great staff to resident ratio. We’re staffed five residents to a nursing staff member, and the national average is about 25. So our staff gets to hang out with the residents and get to know them and their family, and to know their habits and their needs because they have time. And then vice versa, the residents get to know the staff. There is a continuity of care.”

“It’s a really, really enjoyable environment,” she continues. “The Independent Living folks have been so kind and welcoming. You can count on any one of them to lend a hand or help us keep the flowers going in the atrium.”

She appreciates the Hills community, which has always been supportive through volunteering and visiting residents.

“We’re super blessed,” Kronlage concludes, clearly happy to have her place at Atrium Village.

As a licensed nursing home administrator, Kronlage is charged with running the facility with the assistance of the board of directors. That essentially entails handling marketing, finances, human resources, and compliance with government regulations. But, she says, “I got into health care because I like the residents, so I do try to spend as much time as possible with them.”

As Kronlage has eased into her role in the community, being transparent is important to her.

“I have a very open door, which is unusual for some leaders,” she says. “If you have a question about something I’ve said, I want you to come and talk to me. If there’s something that’s not right, or something they’d like to see changed, I want people to come to me and I want to then follow through, to make sure that I’ve addressed their concerns or comments, and then come back to them. I think that’s been something that’s been meaningful to both the staff and residents.”

Letting staff know how appreciated they are is also a priority for Kronlage.

“I think acknowledgement goes a long way,” she says. “I can’t speak highly enough of the staff here. Simple acknowledgements like, ‘Thank you, I see you’re doing a great job,’ that goes a really long way for happy workers.”

Kronlage greatly appreciates the support she receives from the board, residents, and staff when it comes to allowing her the freedom to spend quality time with her family. Her husband, son, and daughter are “super, super important” to her; “my heart is with my family,” she says.

Her faith also is important to her, and it is this that she credits with leading her to Atrium Village.

“We’re all called to use our gifts differently, and I’m just blessed that I could find somewhere where my gifts are appreciated,” she says. “I think God and faith has led a lot of this direction.”