Lenbrook Retirement Community is a full-service retirement community that features high-rise towers, apartment homes, multiple dining venues and a complete fitness center and spa.

Conceived by Atlanta businessman Jack Clark in the early 1980s, The Lenbrook Square Foundation, Inc. – a not-for-profit organization – continues to sponsor the venture. The community opened to its first residents in 1983 and more than two decades later it is still the first and only Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) to earn national accreditation.

Challenge

In 2008 Lenbrook went through a major expansion, renovating community areas and adding a new tower with 140 new residences, three healthcare floors, three restaurants, library, and lobby. Their objective was to enhance and improve quality and hospitality services for their residents while keeping a cost-efficient budget on target.

Because of the perfect storm of the economic and real estate downturn coupled with opening a $170M expansion, Lenbrook faced challenges. This presented an opportunity to transition from in-house hospitality, environmental, and laundry and linen services to a partnership with an experienced leader in support service management, ABM Healthcare Support Services (ABM).

Solution

Lenbrook turned to full-service provider, ABM to oversee Lenbrook’s environmental services and provides comprehensive services through an experienced management team and 30 trained, full-time hourly associates. As one of their first tasks, ABM immediately assessed staffing and management levels, identified operating efficiencies and strategies, and reviewed Lenbrook’s capital needs in all areas.

Next ABM initiated standardized, best practice environmental services (EVS) policies, processes, and systems to better understand and meet customer service and financial challenges. To help Lenbrook improve the quality of service for residents, ABM also implemented new hospitality service programs and state-of-the-art equipment. Linens, soaps, guest rooms, hospitality uniforms and scripting, and microfiber mops were among the changes.

Over the years, ABM has remained committed to Lenbrook’s mission, values, and resident-centered philosophy and have served them in many capacities that extend beyond the environmental services scope of duties including programs and event coordination, call center management, total quality management, and vendor management.  

Benefits

Highlights at Lenbrook include: 

· Increased quality improvement scores – Environmental Services and Linen Department Head Survey Scores rank above 4+ on a scale of 1 to 5

· Led EVS and Laundry/Linen Services using innovative methods to help Lenbrook achieve Medicare certification

· Maintained Lenbrook’s CARF-CCAC accreditation standards without a single EVS-related deficiency

· Cost-efficiently assisted with new tower staffing, especially during tight economic times

· Increased Lenbrook efficiency targets