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Press Release
Pasco and North Pinellas County Nursing Home Advocate Kevin Cronin Receives State Recognition
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Pinellas County resident Kevin Cronin was recently honored as the Pasco & North Pinellas Council Ombudsman of the Year for his volunteer work with residents of nursing homes and other long-term care settings.
Mr. Cronin volunteers with the Florida Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program – a federally mandated advocacy organization created to protect long-term care residents’ health, safety, welfare, and rights. Ombudsmen advocate on behalf of residents and work to resolve complaints that may arise to improve the quality of life in long-term care facilities.
“On behalf of the Department of Elder Affairs, I want to congratulate Kevin Cronin for this recognition and thank him for his service to the community,” said DOEA Secretary Richard Prudom. “Volunteers are integral to our efforts to meet the needs across our Aging Network, and Mr. Cronin is truly an asset to our team.”
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Cronin went above and beyond to fulfill the Ombudsman Program’s mission of advocating for long-term care residents. When the West Coast Council’s chairperson resigned, Cronin quickly stepped up to assume this critical role in addition to his role as the Chair of the West Coast District’s Advocacy Workgroup. Every week, Mr. Cronin collects COVID-19 data from primary sources to keep ombudsmen in his district informed.
When confusion around the personal needs allowances at local facilities persisted, Mr. Cronin took the initiative to collect, summarize, and distribute data and other information related to the cases in question. Mr. Cronin’s research helped distill the information for fellow committee members. These efforts helped the committee stay focused on this ongoing project, and Mr. Cronin’s efforts earned him an invitation from the State Ombudsman to become the liaison for the Ombudsman Program’s Legal Advocacy Workgroup.
Florida’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program congratulates Kevin Cronin on receiving this well-deserved recognition for his outstanding contribution to long-term care residents.
The Florida Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, administratively housed at the Department of Elder Affairs, seeks to improve the quality of life and care for all Florida long-term care residents.
The Department of Elder Affairs fully supports the independent authority of the Office of the State Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program to advocate for the health, safety, welfare, and rights of long-term care residents. Consequently, the views and opinions expressed by the Program may not represent the official policy or position of the Department of Elder Affairs or its employees.
