Heather Bruemmer is known for her compassionate leadership and tireless advocacy for the protection of consumer rights and improvement of quality of life for Wisconsin citizens receiving Long-Term Care services. Heather served passionately as the Executive Director of the State of Wisconsin's Board on Aging and Long-Term Care and Ombudsman program, she was a key founding member of Wisconsin Coalition for Collaborative Excellence in Assisted Living (WCCEAL), Chair of the Long-Term Care Advisory Committee, a member of the Center for Excellence in Assisted Living (CEAL) Advisory Counsel, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services Dementia Steering Committee, Civil Money Penalty State Review Committee, and Wisconsin Aging Advocacy Network. Heather also served on the Task Force on Elder Abuse for former Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel.
Heather Bruemmer WCCEAL video (2 minutes)
This award acknowledges individuals who demonstrate outstanding leadership and commitment to improving the quality of life for residents of long-term care.
John Sauer, former President and CEO of LeadingAge Wisconsin, founding member of the Wisconsin Coalition for Collaborative Excellence in Assisted Living (WCCEAL), and developer of the Wisconsin Clinical Resource Center (CRC). John retired in April 2023, following a highly distinguished career leading quality improvement in long-term care for over 30 years. He worked tirelessly to improve the lives of all residents and staff working in long-term care. John graduated from UW-La Crosse with a degree in political science and public administration, and began his career as a Team Leader within the Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau.
David R. Zimmerman, Ph.D. is a Professor Emeritus of Industrial and Health Systems Engineering, and the former Director of the Center for Health Systems Research and Analysis (CHSRA), at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 2016, Dr. Zimmerman and his daughter Kate Hester started the Elder Justice Foundation to fund projects that prevent elder abuse and promote elder justice.
Over the course of his academic career, Dr. Zimmerman supervised the work of many graduate and undergraduate students, and taught courses on health systems, health information, evaluation methodology and health performance measurement.
Dr. Zimmerman has more than 30 years of research experience in the measurement and evaluation of the quality and performance of long-term care. He led the team that developed the original set of Minimum Data Set Quality Indicators for nursing homes. He has headed many projects to develop quality measurement and assessment systems serving consumers, providers and regulatory agencies. He is the founder, principal investigator and academic partner of the Wisconsin Coalition for Collaborative Excellence in Assisted Living (WCCEAL).
Dr. Zimmerman has served on the Nursing Home Measures Steering Committee of the National Quality Forum, the Board of Directors of the American Medical Directors Association Foundation, and many national provider network boards and quality committees. He has been the recipient of multiple awards from government regulatory agencies and consumer advocate organizations, and has several times testified before congressional committees on long-term care quality issues.
This award, presented annually, is awarded to WCCEAL provider ALCs that exemplify Heather Bruemmer by demonstrating going above and beyond to provide quality care to their residents. The provider ALCs selected for this award show examples of exceeding quality improvement initiatives in WCCEAL.
Valley VNA Senior Care, located in Neenah, WI, has been honored as the recipient of the 2023 Heather Bruemmer Provider Achievement Award for Assisted Living Quality by the Wisconsin Assisted Living Association (WALA). This prestigious recognition is a testament to Valley VNA's longstanding commitment to excellence, evident through their active participation in the Wisconsin Coalition for Collaborative Excellence in Assisted Living (WCCEAL) and WALA's Diamond Accreditation Program. more info
LeadingAge Wisconsin honors our recipients of the 2023 Heather Bruemmer WCCEAL Provider Award for Assisted Living Quality. In maintaining Gold Member status in WCCEAL throughout the pandemic, these 10 ALCs demonstrate, in true Heather Bruemmer fashion, that people who are committed to quality care will continuously go above and beyond to provide that care despite the challenges and obstacles that are put before them. more info
WHCA/WiCAL would like to honor and recognize the incredible achievements of Pinnacle Senior Living for their dedication to go above and beyond to provide quality care to their residents. Pinnacle Senior Living continues to exceed the WCCEAL quality improvement initiatives and upholds the values of quality care as demonstrated so effectively by Heather Bruemmer. Pinnacle Senior Living focuses on person-centered care. Their culture and compassionate approach to care delivers wellness and comfort to nourish their residents’ minds, bodies, and spirits. With high-quality services backed by a team of warmhearted individuals, they are specialists in the art of caring. more info
DSPN recognizes these organizations for their unwavering commitment to continuous quality improvement and collaboration, kindness, advocacy, and caring for others. We are honored to serve them as members and WCCEAL participants. more info