FORT MYERS, Fla. (August 27, 2008) — The leadership of Shell Point Retirement Community was recently in the spotlight as the Florida Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (FAHSA) honored Peter Dys, President of Shell Point, and Donna Duss, RN, President of Duss Healthcare Consulting and Vice President of Shell Point’s Board of Directors.
Peter Dys received the 2008 Distinguished Service Award, and Donna Duss received the 2008 Trustee of the Year Award for their outstanding achievements in their roles in the retirement and life care industry.
“President Peter Dys has been an exemplary leader for the community of Shell Point,” said Lynn Schneider, APR, CPRC, Assistant Vice President of Marketing and Communications. “He guided it through many hurdles and is one of the reasons that Shell Point is a strong leader in the industry.”
Peter Dys was referred to as one of FAHSA’s unsung heroes. For many years he has worked quietly behind-the-scenes to help the FAHSA staff with public policy issues and legislative contacts. Dys has provided consistent involvement and assistance to Florida Representatives and Senators on issues regarding senior care and serves on the Governor’s Continuing Care Advisory Council for the State of Florida.
Dys has served for twenty-three years as president of Shell Point Retirement Community and has been responsible for the growth and financial stability of the organization. Dys is well respected for his business acumen and experience in the long term care field. Under his direction Shell Point has grown from eight hundred residents to more than 2,100, and has provided jobs for more than 850 employees, and he has also launched a variety of innovative programs and services that have benefited thousands of seniors. Additionally, the community has successfully expanded from one neighborhood of thirty-five acres to multiple neighborhoods of nearly one thousand acres.
Donna J. Duss joined the CMAF Board in 1994 as the first woman to ever serve on the CMAF Board, and currently serves as the vice president. A resident of Alexandria, Virginia, she is a registered nurse, licensed in multiple states and has more than thirty years of experience in health care in clinical practice, education, and administration. She has worked as Director of Staff Development and Director of Nursing in Long-term Care, is the Founder and President of Duss Healthcare Consulting, and has served since 1999 as a consultant and coach to long-term care clients.
“Donna has been an excellent member on the Shell Point Board of Directors,” said Ron Eastman, Chairman of the Board. “She is an advocate for patient rights, while accepting the necessity for finding balance within an ever-tightening and highly-regulated system of health care. She is a skillful nursing professional who stays abreast of the latest developments in nursing and health care, and we have been most fortunate to benefit from her expertise.” Vice President of Health Care Services at Shell Point, Steve Minniear, agrees, “As part of her serious commitment to her duties as a board member, she adds an additional day to most of her quarterly visits to the community to provide time for a walk-through of our health care facilities with feedback for our administrators.”
The Florida Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (FAHSA) was established in 1963 as a Florida not-for-profit corporation. Its purpose is to provide leadership, advocacy, and education for retirement housing and nursing home communities that serve the needs of Florida’s retirees. FAHSA is committed to assisting its members in providing the highest quality of services possible to the residents they serve. To accomplish its purpose, the association provides up-to-date information, education, representation, group services, and networking as well as prompt, efficient service to the professional staff of its member communities.
Shell Point Retirement Community is a not-for-profit continuing care retirement community located in Fort Myers just off Summerlin Road, two miles before the Sanibel causeway. Shell Point is a nationally recognized leader in the retirement industry.
