Cover Feature: Jennifer L. Robinson
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SanStone President Jennifer L. Robinson Leads by Example
In order to become the President of SanStone Health and Rehabilitation, LNHA Jennifer L. Robinson had to learn all aspects of the long-term care industry from the ground up. “People that don’t work in our industry don’t understand the level of commitment and work that goes into it,” she says.
Robinson graduated from Charles D. Owen High School in Black Mountain, NC and immediately began working as a Personal Care Assistant at Black Mountain Center, a state-owned facility for the developmentally disabled. Then, a school friend helped her get a job as a Dietary Manager at Willow Ridge Health & Rehabilitation. Robinson loved getting to work with the residents and physicians to put together comprehensive plans to improve their health and prevent them from losing weight. “I was able to be part of this interdisciplinary team to make their lives better,” she explains. “I found a job where I could be someone of importance, where I could make a difference.”
“I developed this strong passion to care for the elderly and to do it with empathy for them and for their families,” Robinson says, lovingly. Her manager, Greg Kennedy, felt that she had more abilities to offer the company. In 2008, he began helping her to continue her education, study Long-Term Care Administration, and receive the credits to become an administrator-in-training (AIT). Eight weeks before she completed her training, Kennedy announced that he was leaving the company. “I felt like my world had just collapsed,” she expresses at the loss of her boss of many years. Robinson then reached out to Chris Sprenger, the owner of SanStone (who had taught one of her courses), to see if she could complete her training with him. He agreed and she was able to get board certified and receive her license in September 2011. When an administrator position opened up at one of SanStone’s facilities (StoneCreek Health & Rehabilitation) in Asheville immediately following her official licensure, they offered it to Robinson.
Robinson went from being an administrator at StoneCreek, to opening another acquired facility in Granite Falls, to becoming a Regional Operations Manager, then Vice President. Last year, she was made President of the company, managing over 2,000 employees and dealing with everything from regulatory compliance to customer service. “I don’t have an average day,” Robinson explains. “You can’t put my job on a schedule.” She says that some days she is more office-bound, while other days she is working with the CNAs, or addressing everything from feeding the residents, to housekeeping. Robinson says that the fact that the owners are regularly in the building helping the staff with the residents is one of her favorite things about the company. She attributes SanStone’s success to how well they treat their staff, and in turn how well the staff treats the residents. “We operate from the ground up,” she states. “It’s an all-hands-on-deck approach.”
The media often shows the nursing home industry in a very negative light. Part of Robinson’s job, she says, is combating that perception and assuring people that she and her staff will provide the utmost level of care for their loved ones. “Skilled nursing facilities are more closely regulated than nuclear power plants,” Robinson explains. While regulations are crucial, Robinson does admit to being frustrated with the government’s role in how they operate. “I feel so helpless -” she expresses, “being incapable of bridging that gap between the government and our industry.” Robinson feels that a lot of the rules and mandates the government enforces on the long-term care industry just don’t make sense in their day-to-day world. Her goal is to, one day, take a more active role in the political aspect of her field.
Robinson plans to continue on as President of SanStone as long as she can. She also hopes to encourage people to join their industry and find out how rewarding and enjoyable of a job it can be. As a leader in her company, she relishes the opportunity to help other members of her team grow. “They achieve things that they wouldn’t have achieved without your teaching,” she explains. “Somebody had enough faith in me and my abilities to help me grow. I want to be that leader for my staff.” While Robinson acknowledges that she has built a road to success through her own hard work and dedication, she also gives credit to the help and support of Kennedy and Sprenger, and is excited to give that same level of help to others in her field.
Now at 44, Robinson’s favorite aspect of her job is the same thing that made her fall in love with the industry at the beginning of her career. “My favorite part is just to spend time with the residents,” she says. “There’s something therapeutic about that intimate one-on-one time. The stories you learn – that’s irreplaceable.”
To learn more about SanStone Health and Rehabilitation, go to: https://sanstonehealth.com/
Written By: Meg Hale Brunton