Press Releases
Contact: Ty Kinslow, Senior VP for Communications
Telephone: 229.931.5925
Email: tkinslow@magnoliamanor.com
Website: www.magnoliamanor.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 10, 2024
Magnolia Manor Corporate Office, Americus, GA, July 10, 2024 – On July 10, 2024, Mark Johnson (Chairman of the Magnolia Manor Board of Trustees) and the Magnolia Manor Board of Trustees announced that Hill Fort will become President & CEO of Magnolia Manor effective October 1, 2024, following the retirement of Magnolia Manor’s current President & CEO, Mark R. Todd.
Magnolia Manor’s Board of Trustees began working with a national recruiting firm that specializes in long-term care executive leadership. A nationwide search was conducted for the best candidate to fill this crucial role. In-person interviews were recently conducted by Magnolia Manor’s Board of Trustees and corporate leadership team. From these interviews, it was clear that Fort was the best person to step into the top leadership role for the organization.
Fort is only the fourth person charged with leading Magnolia Manor as the President & CEO in the organization’s 65-year history. He follows a rich legacy of leadership in those who have come before him, most especially Todd, whose career at Magnolia Manor spans 39 years of service to the organization, including more than 29 years as the President & CEO.
Fort has been a licensed Nursing Home Administrator since 1996. He and his family moved from Columbus, Georgia to Americus when he joined the Magnolia Manor organization in 2004 as the Administrator for the Magnolia Manor of Americus Nursing Center. In 2008, he became the Senior Vice President for Operations and Chief Operating Officer for Magnolia Manor and has served in that role for the past 16 years. Fort’s expertise in the field of long-term care is widely recognized throughout the industry and state.
“Hill has proven his dedication to the Magnolia Manor organization, to the quality care of the residents, and to leading with integrity. His expertise, experience, dedication, and leadership make him a natural fit to take the helm as the next President & CEO at Magnolia Manor,” stated Mark Todd, current Magnolia Manor President & CEO.
“We appreciate the staff and caregivers who work hard every day to provide quality services and care to the residents entrusted to us at Magnolia Manor. We are thankful for Mark’s vision and servant leadership as President & CEO over the last 29 years. In addition, we look forward with anticipation and excitement as Hill leads us as our next President & CEO. This is a natural next step for him as he continues to make an impact within our organization and the long-term care industry,” stated Mark Johnson, Chairman of the Magnolia Manor Board of Trustees.
“I’m grateful and honored to the board for their confidence in me. It’s been a privilege to be a part of the Magnolia Manor organization for the past 20 years. I look forward to helping Magnolia Manor sustain our momentum as a quality provider in the long-term care industry,” stated Fort.
ABOUT MAGNOLIA MANOR
Headquartered in Americus, Georgia, Magnolia Manor is a faith-based, tax-exempt, not-for-profit organization affiliated with the Methodist Church. Magnolia Manor was established in 1959 and employs almost 900 staff who serve about 1,200 senior adults daily throughout South Georgia. Services at our nine locations are open to all persons, regardless of denominational affiliation. We provide various levels of care, including Independent Living, Catered Care, Personal Care, Assisted Living, Skilled Nursing, Rehabilitative Therapy, and specialized Memory Care.
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Contact: Ty Kinslow, Senior VP for Communications
Telephone: 229.931.5925
Email: tkinslow@magnoliamanor.com
Website: www.magnoliamanor.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 1, 2024
Magnolia Manor Corporate Office, Americus, GA, July 1, 2024 – Congratulations to the Magnolia Manor Americus Nursing Center for receiving the 2024 Silver - Achievement in Quality award from the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL). The Silver award is the second level of three in the National Quality Award Program, which consists of the Bronze, Silver, and Gold levels. To receive the Silver Quality award, long-term care organizations must demonstrate success at the Bronze level and meet the criteria to advance to the Silver level. Recipients must also provide quality care and improve performance consistently. The Magnolia Manor Americus Nursing Center was one of eleven members of the Georgia Health Care Association to receive recognition as a 2024 Silver - Achievement in Quality award recipient.
“I am thankful for the hard work and dedication of our team to improve the quality of care and quality of life for our residents! We have remarkable talent inside these walls and amazing support from our home office and sister facilities. I am truly blessed to be a part of a winning team!” stated Angela High, Administrator at the Magnolia Manor of Americus Nursing Center.
The National Quality Awards will be presented during Delivering Solutions 24 at the AHCA/NCAL Convention & Expo scheduled for October 6 - 9, 2024, in Orlando, Florida. Visit the AHCA/NCAL Quality Award website for more information.
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ABOUT MAGNOLIA MANOR
Headquartered in Americus, Georgia, Magnolia Manor is a faith-based, tax-exempt, not-for-profit organization affiliated by covenant with the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church. Magnolia Manor was established in 1959 and employs almost 900 staff who serve about 1,200 senior adults daily throughout South Georgia. Services at our nine locations are open to all persons, regardless of denominational affiliation. We provide various levels of care, including Independent Living, Catered Care, Personal Care, Assisted Living, Skilled Nursing, Rehabilitative Therapy and specialized Memory Care.
ABOUT AHCA/NCAL
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) represent more than 14,000 non-profit and proprietary skilled nursing centers, assisted living communities, sub-acute centers, and homes for individuals with intellectual and development disabilities. By delivering solutions for quality care, AHCA/NCAL aims to improve the lives of the millions of frail, elderly and individuals with disabilities who receive long term or post-acute care in our member facilities each day. For more information, please visit www.ahcancal.org.
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The 2024 National Hurricane Preparedness Week will be taking place this week from May 5th through May 11th. Please join us in spreading the word about hurricane safety and preparedness. Each day has a theme to help everyone prepare and stay safe during hurricane season:
- May 5, 2024 — Know Your Risk: Wind & Water
- May 6, 2024 — Prepare Before Hurricane Season
- May 7, 2024— Understand Forecast Information
- May 8, 2024— Get Moving When a Storm Threatens
- May 9, 2024 — Stay Protected During Storms
- May 10, 2024— Use Caution After Storms
- May 11, 2024—Take Action Today
We will be sharing the themes and messaging on our social media profiles throughout the week. We also ask that you also share this information with your constituents on your various platforms. You can also visit and share the mobile-friendly hurricane prep website linked below.
https://www.noaa.gov/hurricane-prep
Thank you all for helping us create a Weather-Ready Nation by spreading the word about this important preparedness information.
Sheri Lynn Russo, MPH
Field Coordinator
Georgia Emergency Management - Homeland Security Agency
Contact: Ty Kinslow, Senior VP for Communications
Telephone: 229.931.5925
Email: tkinslow@magnoliamanor.com
Website: www.magnoliamanor.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
August 30, 2023
Hurricane Idalia Update
Magnolia Manor Home Office, Americus, GA, August 30, 2023 - We will continue to monitor Hurricane Idalia and the weather throughout the week through our local Emergency Management Agencies, the National Weather Service, and the National Hurricane Center. Our residents and staff are our utmost priority, and Magnolia Manor will make all decisions and take necessary steps to keep them safe. We will continue to keep you updated with any significant changes.
ABOUT MAGNOLIA MANOR
Headquartered in Americus, Georgia, Magnolia Manor is a faith-based, tax-exempt, not-for-profit organization affiliated by covenant with the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church. Magnolia Manor was established in 1959 and employs almost 1,000 staff who serve about 1,500 senior adults daily throughout South Georgia. Services at our nine locations are open to all persons, regardless of denominational affiliation. We provide various levels of care, including Independent Living, Catered Care, Personal Care, Assisted Living, Skilled Nursing, Rehabilitative Therapy, and specialized Memory Care. For more information, please visit www.magnoliamanor.com.
Contact: Ty Kinslow, Senior VP for Communications
Telephone: 229.931.5925
Email: tkinslow@magnoliamanor.com
Website: www.magnoliamanor.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 11, 2021
Magnolia Manor COVID-19 update
Magnolia Manor Home Office, Americus, GA, August 11, 2021 –Magnolia Manor President and CEO Mark R. Todd reports that “From March 10, 2020 until June 3, 2021 Magnolia Manor provided weekly press releases concerning the coronavirus pandemic in our communities. In our June 3, 2021 press release we changed our reporting from weekly to an “as needed” basis to report any new major issues.”
“I’m sorry to report “as needed” has arrived. Once again we are sharing with you critical information concerning the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. It is important for Magnolia Manor to communicate information for transparency to our residents, family members and communities.”
The Department of Public Health reports that COVID community infection rates have sharply increased since the July 4th holiday. Current positivity rates from the Department of Public Health for this week are 18.2% rate for Bibb County, 19.1% for Bryan County, 22.3% for Camden County, 27.6% for Colquitt County, 19.0% for Glynn County, 27.3% for Liberty County, 18.1% for Marion County, 21.9% for Muscogee County and 12.0% for Sumter County. These rates are significantly over the 10% thresholds we have been using to develop our response procedures.
“The increase in community positivity rates over the last several weeks dictate that we must make changes to some of the services we had previously reinstated. Since June 3, 2021 we have been open for limited indoor visitation. Regretfully, we must temporarily suspend all indoor visitation until the community positivity rates drop below 10% again. This is not a decision we wanted to make but we must take the steps necessary to insure that all protections are in place for Magnolia Manor residents and staff. Electronic, Outdoor and window visits will still be in place.”
Within the last week, one employee has tested positive at the Retirement Center in Americus, two at our Moultrie location, three at the Nursing Center in Americus, one at the nursing center at Marion County, two at St. Simons Island Nursing Center, three at Magnolia Manor of Columbus East and one employee at our nursing center in Midway. Employees who test positive are required to remain out of work and in quarantine. This strains an already difficult staffing situation.
Unfortunately, several facilities also have residents who have recently tested positive. Four residents at the Americus Retirement Center have tested positive. In St. Simons, 2 residents have tested positive, with one hospitalized and one resident tested positive at the Columbus East Nursing Center, all within the last week.
We continue to follow the directives from multiple agencies including the Department of Public Health (DPH), Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), all federal agencies including weekly COVID testing in most of our facilities.
In January 2021, vaccines against COVID-19 became available to the public, beginning with the most vulnerable in our population, healthcare workers and caregivers. Since the beginning of vaccine availability, Magnolia Manor has encouraged staff, residents, family members and community members to get vaccinated. The vaccines have proven to be the very best way to protect ourselves, our loved ones and the residents we serve against the devastating effects of the virus. Currently, Magnolia Manor has 47% of the staff overall at least partially vaccinated and all residents at 75% - 100% depending on the facility, except Columbus East and West at 64% and 68% respectively. We have a major incentive program underway to encourage vaccinations for our staff.
The statistics of the hospitalizations and deaths since March among vaccinated people vs unvaccinated people is staggering. Since March 2021, 98% of the critically ill and hospitalized patients who have tested positive for COVID have been unvaccinated and 99.4% of the people who died directly related to COVID have been unvaccinated. These statistics confirm the importance of being vaccinated. The vaccine is a way to prepare your body to fight the virus if it enters your body, just like the flu shot, just like the Chicken-Pox vaccination for children. It helps your body identify the virus and tells your immune system to get boosted and prepare to fight.
“As much as we’d like for the virus to just go away and for life to return to “normal”, unfortunately this has not been the case, so we must continue to be vigilant in our efforts to protect ourselves and our residents. The COVID virus will continue to mutate and infect people. The most recent DELTA variant is more easily transmittable, highly contagious and is the variant we are seeing in this current spike within all of our local communities. Magnolia Manor strongly encourages everyone to be vaccinated.”
The leadership and staff at Magnolia Manor continue to make all efforts possible to meet residents’ expectations to the best of our ability and to insure that all protections continue throughout all Magnolia Manor facilities. We also continue to follow all guidelines for safety and security through infection control procedures including the use of face masks, hand washing, testing while continuing the use of PPE as needed. Resident admissions are open for all facilities within our safety guidelines. We are actively promoting vaccine clinics for our staff and residents. We also continue to need more staff, jobs are available.
“The best protection we all can offer is for our residents, staff, family members and community members to be vaccinated. Recently, Magnolia Manor implemented a reward and incentive program to encourage all staff members to become vaccinated and increase our vaccination rates. We want visitors and residents to also be vaccinated. We know everyone is anxious to spend unlimited time with their loved ones and we want all services to return as soon as possible. Please consider vaccination.”
Headquartered in Americus, Georgia, Magnolia Manor is a faith-based, tax-exempt, not-for-profit organization affiliated by covenant with the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church. Magnolia Manor was established in 1959 and employs almost 1,000 staff who serve about 1,500 senior adults daily throughout South Georgia. Services at our nine locations are open to all persons, regardless of denominational affiliation. We provide various levels of care, including Independent Living, Catered Care, Personal Care, Assisted Living, Skilled Nursing, Rehabilitative Therapy and specialized Memory Care.
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Contact: Ty Kinslow, Senior VP for Communications
Telephone: 229.931.5925
Email: tkinslow@magnoliamanor.com
Website: www.magnoliamanor.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 24, 2021
Magnolia Manor COVID-19 update
Magnolia Manor Home Office, Americus, GA, March 24, 2021 –Magnolia Manor President and CEO Mark R. Todd reports that COVID community infection rates are continuing to decline. According to the Department of Public Health numbers, county positivity rates for Bibb, Bryan, Camden, Colquitt, Glynn, Liberty, Marion, Muscogee and Sumter Counties are now below 10% infection rates. Camden, Glynn, Marion and Sumter County are currently below a 5% positivity rate. During the last two weeks there were no reported positive residents and only one reported employee at Columbus West Nursing Center.
“The vaccine seems to be having a positive impact for everyone in reducing positivity rates. All residents and employees who wanted the vaccine have now received both doses. “
As most of our campuses report no active COVID-19 cases in the past two weeks and the community infection rates are stable and falling, we continue to follow all guidelines and directives from the Governor’s Office, the Department of Public Health (DPH) and the federal government for regulations at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The regulations and policies for our facilities continue to evolve as the positivity numbers decline.
“Magnolia Manor now has the ability to host not only outdoor visitation, but also we have scheduled indoor visitation. It’s fantastic to be able to have our families be able to visit with our residents face to face now”.
Magnolia Manor wants to continue to encourage everyone to be vaccinated. Now is not the time to let our guard down because the virus is still a threat. We still await approval for our institutional pharmacy to be cleared to receive vaccines in order to make additional doses available to those who were not vaccinated, but those that qualify for vaccines in their communities are highly encouraged to get it done through their local sources. As of Tuesday, March 23, 2021, Governor Kemp has opened vaccines up to all Georgia citizens ages 16 and older.
Since March 26, 2020, Magnolia Manor has provided routine press releases since the coronavirus pandemic hit our communities in February 2020. First weekly and now bi-weekly reports were produced to create a transparent platform for information to our residents and their families, along with the communities we serve, concerning all of the efforts being made at Magnolia Manor to fight this deadly disease. After a long and challenging year, it is now time to move to a monthly report. Starting with our next report on, May 5, 2021, we will send additional press releases on the first Wednesday of every month moving forward. We will also be prepared to give a report in-between as the need arises. Facility specific questions can be directed to the leadership in each building.
As Magnolia Manor continues the push to get back to more normal operations, resident admissions are now open for all of our buildings. We are also expanding our workforce with new salary scales, sign on bonuses for nursing staff and additional benefits for full and part time employees. Now is the time to join a caring and dedicated staff. We will also continue to follow all guidelines for safety and security through infection control procedures including the use of face masks, hand washing and testing while continuing the use of PPE as needed.
“Magnolia Manor wants you to consider becoming part of our family. We have places for your loved ones to live in a safe and secure environment. We also have staff opportunities for those looking for a rewarding career. Please give Magnolia Manor a look when thinking about resident support needs or fulfilling employee career goals. Visit our website for more information at www.magnoliamanor.com. “
As a 501(c)(3) faith-based nonprofit, Magnolia Manor welcomes donations, which are tax deductible as allowed by law.
Headquartered in Americus, Georgia, Magnolia Manor is a faith-based, tax-exempt, not-for-profit organization affiliated by covenant with the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church. Magnolia Manor was established in 1959 and employs almost 1,000 staff who serve about 1,500 senior adults daily throughout South Georgia. Services at our nine locations are open to all persons, regardless of denominational affiliation. We provide various levels of care, including Independent Living, Catered Care, Personal Care, Assisted Living, Skilled Nursing, Rehabilitative Therapy and specialized Memory Care.
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Contact: Ty Kinslow, Senior VP for Communications
Telephone: 229.931.5925
Email: tkinslow@magnoliamanor.com
Website: www.magnoliamanor.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 5, 2021
Magnolia Manor COVID-19 update
Magnolia Manor Home Office, Americus, GA, May 5, 2021 –Magnolia Manor President and CEO Mark R. Todd reports that COVID community infection rates have bounced around over the last month. According to the Department of Public Health (DPH) numbers, county positivity rates for Bibb, Bryan, Camden, Marion and Muscogee Counties have declined. Colquitt, Glynn, Liberty and Sumter Counties on average have moved up slightly but continue to have smaller numbers than before. Bibb, Camden, Colquitt and Sumter are below 5% positivity rate while Bryan, Glynn, Liberty, Marion and Muscogee are still below a 10% positivity rate.
“Community positivity rates have remained relatively steady over the last month and all residents and employees who have been fully vaccinated seem to be well protected. All efforts are being made to insure that these and other protections continue throughout all Magnolia Manor facilities”
All of our campuses report no active COVID-19 cases in the past 30 days and there has been only one employee test positive, at the Americus Nursing Center, during the same time frame. Even though things are improving, we still are following the directives from multiple agencies including the Governor’s Office, DPH and the federal government for regulations at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid services (CMS).
“Magnolia Manor has been working steadily to reopen services and get back to more normal operations for our residents and their families. We are facing a severe staffing issue which has limited how fast these services can be reinstated. We know everyone is anxious to spend unlimited time with their loved ones. Due to staffing limitations, our visitation schedules have been established to ensure we have proper staffing to provide care for our residents and also follow the guidelines for outside visitors. ”
Magnolia Manor continues to encourage everyone to be vaccinated because the virus is still a threat. We now have vaccines available through our institutional pharmacy for our staff and residents and are working on procedures to make them available to those who were not vaccinated. Those that qualify for vaccines in their communities are highly encouraged to continue to get it done through their local sources. All Georgia citizens ages 16 and older are now eligible for the vaccine.
Since March 26, 2021 Magnolia Manor has not provided a press release concerning the coronavirus pandemic in our communities as we have moved to a monthly reporting period. We still want to use this platform for information transparency to our residents and their families, along with the communities we serve, because all of the efforts being made at Magnolia Manor to fight this deadly disease continues daily. This has been a long and challenging year, and the leadership and staff at Magnolia Manor continue to make the effort to meet resident expectations to the best of our abilities, but we still need people to have patience and understanding. Facility specific questions can be directed to the leadership in each building to determine how our reopening procedures are being implemented at each location.
As Magnolia Manor continues to push to get back to more normal operations, resident admissions are now open for all of our buildings. We are also expanding our workforce with new salary scales, sign on bonuses for nursing staff and additional benefits for full and part time employees. Now is the time to join a caring and dedicated staff. We will also continue to follow all guidelines for safety and security through infection control procedures including the use of face masks, hand washing, testing while continuing the use of PPE as needed.
Magnolia Manor is focused on the essential services until we are fully staffed again. We have places for your loved ones to live in a safe and secure environment. Any new residents who are admitted or current residents who travel out overnight that have been vaccinated are not required to quarantine. Non-vaccinated residents are required to quarantine for ten (10) days. We also have staff opportunities for those looking for a rewarding career. Employees who are fully vaccinated, do not have to be tested. Non-vaccinated employees are tested weekly.”
“We encourage you to consider giving Magnolia Manor an opportunity when thinking about resident support needs or fulfilling career goals. Visit our website for more information at www.magnoliamanor.com.”
Headquartered in Americus, Georgia, Magnolia Manor is a faith-based, tax-exempt, not-for-profit organization affiliated by covenant with the South Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church. Magnolia Manor was established in 1959 and employs almost 1,000 staff who serve about 1,500 senior adults daily throughout South Georgia. Services at our nine locations are open to all persons, regardless of denominational affiliation. We provide various levels of care, including Independent Living, Catered Care, Personal Care, Assisted Living, Skilled Nursing, Rehabilitative Therapy and specialized Memory Care.
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