New Administrator Focused On Patient Care, Needs

A St. Elizabeth native with 20 years of nursing home experience is the new administrator at the Sunnyview Nursing Home and Apartments.

Jerry Doerhoff began his duties on Oct. 15. He comes to Trenton from Grand River Health Care in Chillicothe, where he spent the last year as administrator.
Doerhoff began his career as a radiologist and it was his older brother, also a nursing home administrator, who got him into the nursing home field.
“I’ve always enjoyed working with the elderly, so when my brother called and asked if I would like to work for him, I thought this would be a good way to get into the field,” he said. “And so far, it’s been very rewarding.”
Doerhoff has spent most of his career working with corporate-owned facilities, beginning at a facility in his native St. Elizabeth before moving on to Stanberry for a 13-month stint at Pineview. He has also spent time at facilities in central Missouri, eventually landing in Chillicothe at Grand River. The move to Trenton gives Doerhoff a chance to work in more of a public setting, something he said he finds enjoyable.
But whether it is working in a privately-run or publically-operated facility, the goal is always the same – providing good residential care.
“That is first and foremost – making sure our residents have the best care that we can give them,” Doerhoff said. “Happy residents are the best public relations that a facility can have and we want to make sure our residents and their families are happy.”
Doerhoff has already hit the ground running, attempting to address concerns from not only residents and their families, but from staff as well.
“I want to be part of the care plan meetings for our patients, which will help me get to know the families and find out what they are expecting from us,” he said. “I want the families to know that if they have a concern, they can come to me so that it can be addressed.”
Doerhoff said that he is also visiting with staff members at all levels to find out their needs as well.
“Are there areas where we need to do better job or need more training to help take better care of our patients?” he said. “I want to make sure our staff also has what it needs to make sure they can do their job and provide the best care for our patients.”
Doerhoff said it is important for him to get out into the community and tell the story of Sunnyview. In addition to meeting residents’ families, he also plans visits to the local senior center as well as in neighboring communities such as Laredo, Galt and Spickard.
“These are the people who will probably need our services in the future and we need to talk with them about what we have to offer and what we can do,” he said. “It’s very important to make that contact.”
He has also gotten active in the community, having already attended two chamber events, and says he has plans to attend as many local functions as he can.
“It’s important for us to be part of this community,” he said.