WEST HARTFORD – Hebrew Center for Health and Rehabilitation, located in West Hartford, has received its first ever overall five-star rating from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). A five-star designation is the highest rating a skilled nursing facility can receive. Ratings are calculated from state survey results, quality measures and staffing levels.

According to Hebrew Center Administrator Penni Martin, the rating culminates a year-long effort to enhance the quality of care and services at the Hebrew Center by its new operator, National HealthCare Associates (NHCA). Recently, the NHCA also certified the Hebrew Center for the “Passport Rehabilitation Program, which provides enhanced staff training on the needs and care practices of short-term patients in a skilled nursing setting.

In addition, last week the Hartford Kashrut Commission announced that kosher certification has been granted to the Hebrew Center’s food and dining services. According to the commission’s head, Rabbi Yitchok Adler, who worked on development of operational protocols for the Heberw Center with Rabbi Tuvia Brander, Rabbi Shia Gopin and Rabbi Daniel Braune-Friedman, all of West Hartford, the certification applies to food services for all the agencies sharing a campus with the Hebrew Center.

“Each day, we aim to provide compassionate quality care to all those we serve,” said Martin. “We hold ourselves to a very high standard and a five-star rating is a phenomenal achievement – one that we certainly don’t take for granted.”