Seven New Jersey long-term care providers win national Silver Quality Award

Six skilled nursing centers and one assisted living community in New Jersey earned the 2026 Silver — Achievement in Quality Award from AHCA/NCAL. The recognition highlights providers that have moved beyond basic quality practices and shown measurable progress in leadership, operations and resident outcomes.

Why it matters: - The Silver Award is the second of three levels in the AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program, so reaching it signals more than compliance; it reflects sustained performance improvement. - The recognition can help set a benchmark for resident-centered care across New Jersey’s long-term care sector. - The award process evaluates leadership, workforce engagement, customer satisfaction and measurable results.

What happened: - The Health Care Association of New Jersey announced that seven providers in New Jersey earned the 2026 Silver – Achievement in Quality Award. - The recipients include six skilled nursing centers and one assisted living community. - The awardees are Brightview Wayne; Complete Care at Barn Hill Care Center; Complete Care at Clark; Complete Care at Marcella; Complete Care at Monmouth; Complete Care at Orange Park; and Willow Springs Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center. - The Silver Award is part of the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living’s National Quality Award Program. - The seven New Jersey winners are among 255 long-term care providers in 43 states recognized with the 2026 Silver Award.

The details: - The National Quality Award Program is based on the Baldrige Performance Excellence Framework. - The program has three levels: Bronze, Silver and Gold. - Providers at the Silver level have shown effective approaches, systematic improvement, organizational learning and measurable progress across key performance areas. - Silver applicants undergo review by trained national examiners. - Examiners assess leadership, strategic planning, workforce engagement, resident and family satisfaction, operations, knowledge management and results. - HCANJ provides educational programs, application workshops, one-on-one coaching, application review and editing support, and opportunities for members to serve as national Quality Award Examiners.

Between the lines: - The award points to a broader emphasis on operational discipline in long-term care, not just clinical outcomes. - HCANJ’s coaching and review support suggests New Jersey providers are being pushed to compete in a more structured quality framework. - The Baldrige-based review process rewards systems that can sustain improvement over time, which can separate high-performing facilities from peers with similar resources.

What's next: - The 2026 National Quality Award recipients will be recognized at Delivering Solutions 26, the AHCA/NCAL Convention & Expo, Oct. 11–14, 2026, in Boston. - Providers advancing through the award program can use the recognition as a signal of readiness for the Gold level.

The bottom line: - Seven New Jersey long-term care providers earned national recognition for building measurable, repeatable quality systems that improve care and operations.