News

David Sylvester receives 2009 Johnson Excellence Award

Past President David Sylvester (2006-08) was honored during the FHCA Annual Conference in Hollywood with the 2009 Walter M. Johnson, Jr. Circle of Excellence Award. Sylvester was recognized for his leadership and pursuit of advocating for the coexistence of funding, quality and customer satisfaction as the cornerstone of the long term care profession. The award, which is FHCA's highest honor, was presented by 2008 Circle of Excellence winner and FHCA Secretary, Scott Bell, who noted Sylvester's ability to "encourage and inspire others to take action and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their professional peers to not only react, but also reshape the ever-changing long term care environment."

Sylvester began his career working on the frontline of health care, serving as a CNA, an ambulance driver and a respiratory therapist. He later became a nursing home administrator owned several facilities in the New England area. His facility in Maine was the first-ever recipient of the American Health Care Association's Quality Award, and his experience enabled him to rise to the top of the Maine Health Care Association before coming to Florida, where he shared that same vision of quality care with FHCA. Today, he is senior vice president of Health Central in Ocoee, one of central Florida's most progressive healthcare providers with services including a short and long term care skilled nursing facility, a special care/dementia wing and a cutting-edge rehabilitation center. He was a member of FHCA's Management Committee from 2000 through 2008 and currently serves as president of the FHCA Quality Credentialing Foundation where he continues to challenge his professional peers to embrace quality improvement as a continual process.