The Future Leaders Awards program is brought to you in partnership with PointClickCare (BHB, SHN, SNN) and Homecare Homebase (HHCN, HSPN). The program is designed to recognize up-and-coming industry members who are shaping the future of behavioral health, home health, hospice and palliative care, senior housing and skilled nursing. To see this year’s Future Leaders, visit https://futureleaders.agingmedia.com/.

Cody Meenan, Divisional Vice President of Operations at Saber Healthcare Group, has been named 2023’s Future Leader by Skilled Nursing 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.

Meenan sat down with Skilled Nursing News to talk about his career trajectory and the ways the industry is evolving due to market and regulatory forces and the COVID-19 pandemic.

SNN: What drew you to this industry?

Family. Both my brother and my dad were in the industry, and coming out of graduate school,  I had an opportunity to follow suit and I quickly fell in love.

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

Perseverance and willingness to accept challenges will always win. This is a difficult industry and you don’t always get immediate gratification. Building a team, nurturing a team, and getting them to have buy in towards a common goal isn’t easy. When you are able to accomplish that at any level in the industry, there is nothing more gratifying.

SNN: If you could change one thing with an eye toward the future of skilled nursing, what would it be?

That we not be viewed as less than any other sector in the healthcare continuum. During the Covid crisis, it brought me to tears almost every night seeing the news reports of people clapping for the hospital nurses, doctors, and staff. Although that was completely deserved and I loved it, I don’t think we saw the same type of things for our staff. Our staff works intimately with our residents, sometimes for multiple years. There are extremely close bonds that are formed. I would like to see our staff treated by those outside of our industry with the same type of respect.

SNN: What do you foresee as being different about the skilled nursing industry looking ahead to 2023?

We can no longer count on the government to bail out the industry. Payment models have adjusted or will adjust to reward positive measurable resident outcomes. There will be no influx of staff. Only those who are able to pay the hands on staff accordingly and build a strong culture will thrive moving forward.

SNN: In a word, how would you describe the future of skilled nursing?

Dynamic.

SNN: What quality must all Future Leaders possess?

To not be afraid to fail or be humbled consistently. This industry isn’t for the faint of heart as sometimes things won’t go your way. You need to be able to refuse to accept a less than desirable outcome no matter what that timeline looks like. Keep going.

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

Prioritize process over outcome. If you prioritize resident care and satisfaction and build a culture of caring with your staff, everything will work out.

To learn more about the Future Leaders program, visit https://futureleaders.agingmedia.com/.