Maria Wellisch, RN, LNFA, vice president of corporate and community education at Morningside Ministries Senior Living Communities, was named a “Leader in Senior Healthcare” by The Patient Institute, a non-profit organization based in San Antonio that provides healthcare education and resources to South Texas patients, families, caregivers and healthcare professionals.
Wellisch was formally honored during The Patient Institute’s 7th annual Elegant Evening fundraising event on April 8 along with Dr. Jason E. Schillerstrom and Dr. Jerald Winakur, professors at The University of Texas Health Science Center of San Antonio, and Dr. Joan J. Ratner, co-founder and director of The Patient Institute.
In her position as vice president of corporate and community education, Wellisch is responsible for the delivery of education and training services, including staff training for both internal and external customers, family caregiver education throughout the community, and pastoral caregiver training. In 2007 Wellisch founded mmLearn.org, a web-based program of Morningside Ministries providing quality, consistent caregiver training for family, pastoral and professional caregivers. Since its inception, mmLearn.org has reached audiences in all 50 U.S. states and 98 countries.
Wellisch is also a state-certified nursing home administrator and certified assisted living manager. Through much of her 40 years in nursing, Maria has served in senior level management positions responsible over resident care, staffing and employee training. This includes work with Kaiser Permanente, Primus Health Care Services, and the U.S. Air Force Village retirement communities.
“Maria Wellisch is a mentor, leader, innovator and friend,” says Donald Donaldson, a certified nursing assistant at Morningside Ministries at Chandler Estate. “She is always there for the staff and guides us with her knowledge and wisdom. She is always willing to learn about new ways to train and educate our nursing staff. I personally am very grateful for her leadership and guidance, which she does with great humility at Morningside Ministries.”
