Business March 27, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 9 Van Dyk Health Care’s Ridgewood facility was named one of the “best nursing homes 2013” by U.S. News & World Report. U.S. News has collected meaningful data and ratings about nearly every nursing facility in the United States, and built a searchable database designed to highlight the highest-rated homes likely to meet each user’s needs. The data behind Best Nursing Homes came from Nursing Home Compare, a website run by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. CMS sets and enforces standards for nursing homes enrolled in Medicare or Medicaid. The agency also collects information from states and individual homes and assigns each home a rating of one to five stars in each of three categories: state-conducted health inspections, nursing and physical therapy staffing, and quality of medical care. The ratings are combined to produce an overall rating. “U.S. News & World Report’s recent recognition of our Ridgewood facility is a culmination of our team’s dedicated and caring work,” said Robert Van Dyk, president and owner of Van Dyk Health Care, Inc. “For 60 years, we’ve instilled the importance of putting our patients’ and residents’ needs ahead of our own, and our team takes this mission to heart every day, from the most simple tasks they complete to the most complex. On behalf of them, and the gracious people who put their trust in us for their care, we’re proud to be recognized nationally for our mission.” “We’re very pleased to be among U.S. News & World Report’s distinguished list of ‘Best Nursing Homes’ for the Van Dyk Ridgewood facility gets top rating third consecutive year,” said Mary Jo Kurtz, administrator/COO of the Van Dyk Ridgewood facility. “Our mission of ‘We Care’ is translated into everything we do for our patients and residents and it’s very gratifying to achieve recognition beyond our own four walls. We share this distinction with our care team, our patients, residents and their families.” U.S. News built Best Nursing Homes 2013 using data published by CMS in January 2013. Homes in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., are included. In January 2013, 3,036 nursing homes earned an overall rating of five stars from the federal government, including Van Dyk Ridgewood. Their profiles on usnews.com display a badge in recognition of this status. U.S. News will periodically update its ratings and other data during 2013 as new data become available from CMS, but only those homes recognized in January will display a badge throughout the year. Van Dyk Health Care is a family of three facilities located in northern New Jersey: Van Dyk Ridgewood, Van Dyk Montclair, and Van Dyk Park Place. Founded in 1953, the organization has built an unsurpassed reputation for excellence in care, that began with Marvin Van Dyk, and continues today with his son, Robert Van Dyk and his dedicated staff – all of whom share a mission of delivering quality care services to others in need, whether it be short-stay services or longer-term assisted or chronic care. Today, Van Dyk Health Care has grown to offer the full continuum of care services, including post-acute, assisted living, skilled nursing and long-term chronic care, and a specialized Alzheimer’s Care unit. The organization is committed to working closely with its hospital and medical partners to ensure its short-stay patients return home quickly and safely. Learn more at vandykhealthcare.com or (201) 445-8200. Musicians (continued from page 4) to the times Chieftains ruled the land and they all had minstrels,” McCulloch said. “The harpers transmitted the news of the day and were powerful in getting people to rally around a cause. Their songs included themes about the battles and victories, beauty of the land, and love. All the harpers were men, since women and slaves were forbidden to play the harp.” She explained that the harpists were so powerful in influencing the Irish people to protest against British rule that Queen Elizabeth I ordered the harpists to be hanged and the harps to be burned. Consequently there are only three mediaeval Gaelic harps in Ireland today. One, known as Brian Boru’s Harp, is housed at Trinity College in Dublin. McCulloch also told the residents that her harp is an Irish harp, or Celtic harp, which are commonly called lever harps because levers control the pitch of the strings. The 36 strings correspond to keys on a piano. She also had special decals of Irish symbols put on the front of the harp. The bottom decal is the Celtic knot. She explained that there are several types of Celtic knots representing a variety of things, including the Trinity, eternal love, life, death, and eternity. The one common thing about the symbol is that there is no beginning and no end to the design. The other decals are a serpent, representing good luck and prosperity; a turtle, representing longevity; and a soaring bird, representing the messenger of creativity and prophecy, which are inspirational to artists and musicians. Nussear, a resident of Ridgewood who has been playing the flute since high school, said flutes are also important in Irish history. “This is a modern-day flute, but in Ireland they often use what are called tin whistles or fifes,” she said. Rev. Blaske also presented a quiz about Saint Patrick.