By Christopher Edmunds

The Selma Times-Journal

The staff at Park Place Nursing and Rehabilitation Center was honored Wednesday with a Rising Star award for outstanding customer service.

Sheryl Smedley, director of the Selma-Dallas County Chamber of Commerce, presented the award.

“Park Place was nominated by a former patient who said the staff goes the extra mile to help make people comfortable and maintain their dignity,” Smedley said.

The Rising Star award is presented once a month to a local business. Customers who have experienced excellent service, Smedley said, nominate businesses.

Park Place owner Charles Hise and his wife, Joanne, accepted the award in a brief presentation in the Park Place lobby.

“Customer service starts as soon as people come through the door,” said Joanne, who is also director of nursing at Park Place. “When people come to Park Place, they’re part of a family here. That’s what sets us apart.”

Joanne said she works to make sure the care at Park Place passes the “my mother” test.

“I want to make sure every patient is taken care of the way I would take care of my own mother,” she said.

Park Place has operated from its current 10-acre facility since 2004. Previously, Charles and Joanna ran the Dunn nursing home on Mabry Street since 1993.

Charles said the current facility can accommodate more than 100 patients, and Park Place currently employs 136.

Charles said running the facility keeps him busy, to say the least.

“We stay full,” he said. “We serve a lot of people. Nursing homes fill a void in the community, and we are deeply rooted in the community here.”

To make Rising Star award nomination, contact the Chamber of Commerce at 875-7241.