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Cherry Village promotes Donna Marbut to director of nursing
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   Just after Donna Marbut graduated from Barton Community College in 1993, she was hired as a director of nursing. And now she has that same title at Cherry Village Benevolence Inc., 1401 Cherry Lane.

Marbut was recently promoted to the position and is using her two decades of experience as a nursing director to care for patients and families.

She said she is especially pleased with her new job because she can be at the forefront of the “culture change” in nursing homes.

“There has been a big change in the way we care for residents,” Marbut said. “And Cherry Village is keeping up, and in many cases, surpassing what others are doing.”

For example, the registered nurse explained, “if you are a late-night person and like to sleep in, you don’t have to miss breakfast. We don’t make you adapt to our schedule; we adapt to yours. This is our mindset because we want to accommodate what you are used to.

“Our residents have more personal freedom than ever before,” she continued. “Some can come and go, and we encourage families to take their loved ones on community outings.”

The nursing director also noted that she has worked in corporate settings where the patient-to-caregiver ratio is much higher than at Cherry Village.

“It is so great to be here because of this personal attention and the facility’s good reputation,” Marbut said, noting she has been at Cherry Village two years. “It is also good for the community that we are non-profit and privately owned by local people. This is so much better than a big corporation.”

Marbut’s day-to-day responsibilities include: overseeing the nursing staff; ensuring compliance with state and federal regulations; and addressing resident and family concerns. She is director of nursing for both skilled nursing and assisted living.

Since Cherry Village is a skilled facility, the nurses also work closely with the in-house physical, occupational and speech therapists.

“These important services are offered because many people come to us while recovering from injuries or strokes,” she explained. “We care for a lot of people who suffer hip fractures from falling, for example. They come here after surgery and stay until their rehab period is over.

“There is a really good staff here,” she added. “And many have been here a long time.”

Marbut was born and raised here and is a 1973 graduate of Great Bend High School.

Jeremy Lewis, Cherry Village chief financial officer, said his family business is enhanced because of employees such as Marbut.

“We are fortunate that Donna is leading a compassionate, professional group of nurses,” he said. “She is well-respected and brings many years of experience to her new job. Donna is an asset to us, and more importantly, to residents and families.”

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