The Westview News

Press Release
Employee of the Month
Date
March 6, 2020

     Some say it’s all in the numbers, and Tara Ouellette of Woodstock, CT has been individually identified at Westview Health Care Center as February’s Employee of the Month. This scale of staff is important, for it is her role to process payroll across their entire workforce of full-time, part time, and per-diem employees. Additionally, Tara tracks all of the Accounts Payable, whether that’s for a new piece of sophisticated rehabilitation equipment or an order of 10,000 paperclips. Even more calculations flow from her desktop as she also serves as Westview’s Resident Trust Coordinator. This duty is every bit as important as her other responsibilities because she serves as the central bank for residents of the skilled nursing facility; providing them with the management of their personal funds.

     All of Tara’s aforementioned duties involve a bit of daily maintenance. In this plurality of productivity she excels. It is worth mentioning that she has fully integrated herself into Westview’s financial systems in less than two years since her hiring in October 2018. Her quick immersion and mastery of these systems was the only way forward because of the dozens of daily transactions and weekly wages that watershed from the Dayville health care facility. No doubt, her ease into this role (and her easy-going spirit) is celebrated by Westview’s staff as evidenced by this recognition. She credits more than 20 years of experience in accounting and finance with the swift assimilation into her current role. Additionally, the strong professional bond she found through learning the job with Westview’s Director of Fiscal Services Donna LaHaie has been an asset since her start at Westview.

     Many of the staff members at Westview have developed highly amicable rapport with Tara. Her distinctive laugh is often heard around the building. Nonetheless, this award represents a serious appreciation they have for her—and that merit wasn’t lost on Tara: “It’s an honor to be selected as Employee of the Month at Westview Health Care Center. The Westview family welcomed me in from the moment I started. I am fortunate to work with some of the most compassionate, talented, and hard-working individuals in the Northeast region. I am grateful for my coworkers who make me smile and make work fun while getting the job done. I look forward to having a long and prosperous career at Westview.”

     When it’s time for Tara to turn off the computer and calculator and head home, it’s to a family she loves spending time with. Tara married Joseph Ouellette on the beaches of Newport, Rhode Island in June 2018, and collectively, they have 6 children (Miguel, Adam, Jennifer, Angela, Kaitlyn, and Samantha) and 5 grandchildren (Kamren, Mitchell, Lily, Maeve, and Christiana). Their whole group loves to vacation together whenever possible. In their travels, they emphasize the desire to see as many different beaches along the Eastern seaboard and upon Caribbean islands. A particularly proud occasion in Tara’s family occurs each Friday night at Stafford Speedway where they root for Tara’s nephew and 2019 Street-Stock Champion: Zack Robinson. During warmer weekends you can usually find her somewhere along the southern New England coast on a beach or a motorcycle. She gains as much enjoyment in joyrides as she does charitable cruises; her and Joseph represent various causes through motorcycle initiatives.

     Tara Ouellette’s role at Westview requires her to interact with every employee in every department at Westview, most of the inpatient residents of the skilled nursing facility and their families, and the highest levels of Westview’s Administration. This necessitates the extreme range of communication skills which Tara possesses in spades. Whether it is in-person or on the phone (by far—Tara has the most dialed number within her office space) it is apparent that she is not just informative, but delightful to converse with.

     “Tara is a perfect fit here at Westview,” stated David T. Panteleakos, Administrator. “She has done an amazing job with adjusting to our environment and handling the complexities of our business systems with ease. She is very deserving of this acknowledgment.”

Westview Health Care Center is a 103-bed inpatient skilled nursing facility, which includes a distinct and self-contained 28-bed sub acute short term rehabilitation unit and outpatient physical, occupational and speech therapies including: Sports Medicine, Adolescent/Pediatric, Adult, and Aquatic Outpatient Centers, all dedicated to providing outstanding quality health care services. The Dayville, Connecticut facility is consistently ranked among the top nursing facilities in the nation, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as well as U.S. News and World Report, for the past 12 consecutive years.