Camden is a crossroads in rural southwest Alabama. It’s 40 or more miles from the surrounding, larger towns. You’ll have to travel further to reach a metropolitan area.
The seat of government for Wilcox County is famous as the birthplace of political heavyweights U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey and former Alabama Congressman Jo Bonner.
It’s also the home to Camden Nursing Facility, a skilled nursing care center that opened in 1975 and proves you can find quality health care close to home.
Recently, the Alabama Department of Public Health declared Camden Nursing Center “deficiency free.” “Deficiency free” means the center meets all the state and federal requirements for nursing homes.
Camden Nursing Facility Administrator Eldridge Stewart
“I liken it to going to a restaurant and there’s a score on the wall,” explains Administrator Eldridge Stewart. “If the restaurant has a 96 or 98 score, that’s good. Same thing in a nursing facility. Out of the hundreds of things that a nursing home could be cited for and you have two or three deficiencies, then that is wonderful. Being deficiency free is a difficult achievement.”
A team of (number of people) Alabama Department of Public Health inspectors spent the better part of a week combing through files and carefully monitoring daily life at Camden Nursing Facility. They observed medication passes, watched as food was prepared and served, interviewed residents and staff and completed long list of other tasks.
“Let’s say some one unexpectedly knocks on the door of your home,” Stewart said. “They come in wearing white gloves and immediately begin rubbing above every door frame, under every bed and inside every closet and find absolutely no dust, nothing out of place, everything working properly and nothing leaking. They walk away saying I can’t find anything wrong with your home. The chances of that happening are too slim. That’s a simplified idea of what a nursing home goes through during its annual inspection.”
Achieving high marks in health care is important for a rural community. Stewart says the “deficiency free” status shows residents they don’t have to travel 50 or 100 miles from home to receive high quality long-term care or short-term rehabilitation.
“It’s a tremendous boost for Camden and Wilcox County,” Stewart said. “Because, in our area, everyone is proud of the nursing home and hospital. In fact, they refer to it as “their nursing home.” They’ll tell our staff that we’re fortunate to have a nursing home in our area. For us to be able to get a deficiency free survey, it makes them proud to know that we have a top-notch facility in Wilcox County.”
Earning deficiency free status is also a point of pride for Stewart. His family has been involved at Camden Nursing Facility since the doors opened more than 40 years ago. However, he’s quick to credit the facility’s 105 employees.
“We have tremendous employees who are prepared and follow policies and procedures,” Stewart said. “The whole staff has done an outstanding job. I give them all the credit for this.”
