The Let's Get Comfy Podcast
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The Let's Get Comfy Podcast
FHCA Interview Series Ep 1 - Julie Morris, LNHA
Julie Morris, President of the Florida Healthcare Association Board of Directors and Vice President of Operations for Aston Health, shares her 30-year journey in long-term care and her vision for improving senior care in Florida through advocacy, innovation, and mentorship.
• Worked in long-term care for 30 years with extensive experience in multi-site operations
• Served on the Florida Healthcare Association board for 12 years, progressing through various leadership positions
• Advocates for seniors through grassroots efforts and Lobby Wednesday events at the Capitol
• Launched an AI technology innovation initiative to enhance operations in care facilities
• Emphasizes the importance of mentorship and "growing your own" talent in healthcare
• Leads Aston Health's expansion to 50 facilities across Florida
• Believes decisions should always center on whether they improve resident care quality
• Encourages healthcare professionals to pay forward the mentorship they've received
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We are back the Lesson Comfort Podcast and CMC Media here in Florida at the Florida Healthcare Association 2025 Conference and Trade Show. And guess what? I have the president with me. I have the president with me. President of Board of Directors of Florida Healthcare, Ms Julie Morris, Thank you so much for joining.
Speaker 2:Oh, thank you.
Speaker 1:Thank you, I'm so glad you'd have you here on the show. It's a monumental moment for us here at the let's Eat Coffee podcast, so I appreciate you gracing us with your presence. Madame, you are very kind. You're very kind Tradition will allow guests on the show to introduce themselves. Put healthcare professionals in an odd situation right away, All right great.
Speaker 2:So I am Julie Morris. I've been on the board of directors with Florida Healthcare Association now for about 12 years, been the president now for a year, going into my second and final year after this installation on Wednesday, so I love it. I also am the Vice President of Operations for Aston Health. I've been with them for a little over two years, so I've been in long-term care now for 30 years of my career.
Speaker 1:Absolutely love it. All right. Well, that's a lot of experience there, right and expertise. But what we're going to do? We're going to talk about the journey of the last decade. Okay, I know that probably sound bad, so don't take it that way. All right, so we're in the elevator, we're going to the 50th floor. Share with us your professional journey over the last 10 years.
Speaker 2:All right, so the last 10 years. Like I said, though, I've been in it for 30 years, so the last 10, I've been very involved with operations, multi-site operations, which is always a great way for folks to really get into it A little past the building. Running the building, it allows you the opportunity to show more impact, be more involved. So that's what I've been doing for a couple of organizations now, really enjoying being able to stretch my legs a little bit, which has been extremely helpful for me to mentor other folks. So that's what the last 10 years has been for me of stretching my career, stretching my career goals and then making the most impact and impression on other administrators that I can.
Speaker 1:OK, that's great. I wouldn't have been able to say that as well. I think the elevator is open now.
Speaker 2:So we're getting off, all right.
Speaker 1:Good job there. So Florida Healthcare, you're the president. Why do you desire to become president of the board of directors? Actually, the first. That's a lot of work. You know it's a little extra workload on you. It is a lot of work.
Speaker 2:But you know it's a desire for. But it's something that I desired to do after my first meeting at a Florida healthcare district meeting.
Speaker 1:And.
Speaker 2:I absolutely I said it. I actually went home and said I think I want to be the president of this organization because I saw there was so much that you could impact, there was so much that you could do and be a part of, and so I kind of grew through the ranks of the role.
Speaker 2:So I started as a district officer I. So I kind of grew through the ranks of the role. So I started out as a district officer. I moved into a committee chair position, co-chair, then a committee chair position, ran for a region office and then jumped onto the executive committee as a secretary, treasurer, senior vice president and president.
Speaker 1:Wow, really involved practicing what she preaches. So, in your role as president, how do you advocate? Offers solutions to provide quality care or improving quality of care for seniors in the state of Florida.
Speaker 2:So it really starts with our grassroots. It really starts with becoming more involved at the Capitol level with the Lobby Wednesday events that we do. I have seen a lot of impact of what our voices can do when we go to the lobby Wednesday events and we go to the Capitol and we meet with our legislators whether it's the House of Representatives folks or it's our senators and we get in front of them and we give them a chance to hear from our folks that are working on the floor, our folks that are working in the centers, doing what they do every day in the post-acute buildings that we run, and giving them the opportunity to hear firsthand stories, even from some of our residents. So that has really been a huge impact on improving quality of care and then knowing, after they voted for the budget, of how much money that we're actually receiving and that goes back into the buildings to help us get the funding that we need for that Medicaid reimbursement and how we can impact that.
Speaker 2:It's huge.
Speaker 1:Yes, it is. It is and thank you for your advocacy. Thank you, we really appreciate it and I'm pretty sure our seniors and their families appreciate what you do as well Just any trends or innovation that you know about that's coming along, that you can share here, that you're excited about.
Speaker 2:So Sunday we had our first ever Innovation Showcase, which was a chance for us to launch our AI technology innovation segment that we're wanting to promote in the next couple of years, and that was an opportunity for us to bring in several vendors who did some demos as well as doing some panels discussions with the members in the audience, which was great. It opened it up for them to have one-on-one discussions. They had a chance to do some Q&A sessions, but it was an opportunity for us to look at what AI software is out there to assist the buildings in doing their jobs better. And it's just, it's something we can move forward with. It advances quicker than we can even talk about it. It advances even quicker than we can even share with our members. So the AI is going to be huge, huge, huge opportunity. You going to tell me about it before everybody else.
Speaker 1:I'm just playing, I'm joking, okay, so personal. So we'll get a little personal here. But on a good note, right, we'll keep it PG. So, hobbies, and where are you from?
Speaker 2:So I'm originally from North Carolina. If you can't hear the accent, I'm from the mountains of North Carolina.
Speaker 1:Both countries yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I'm okay with being country.
Speaker 1:I don't have a problem with it when I'm around people with Southern accents. Mine comes out a little bit stronger, so no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, I have. It's okay to eat coon. What about deer? Deer, yes.
Speaker 2:I've had deer Okay gotcha.
Speaker 1:Well, I have coon. What about possum? You haven't had possum before.
Speaker 2:No, I'm not eating possum, okay, I ate possum too, before I tried it.
Speaker 1:Frog legs I had frog legs before.
Speaker 2:Frog legs.
Speaker 1:Let's see what other country stuff. Auxerre, oh yeah.
Speaker 2:Okay, you country for real. I told you, I was country, you country for real. I told you I was so UNC.
Speaker 1:So you have to be in the sports right.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, cause that's where I went to school Gotcha, so I'm a Carolina grad.
Speaker 1:What message do you have For the blue devils out there, duke, blue Devils.
Speaker 2:That they need to keep trying, keep trying, keep trying. No, you know what? Duke is a really good school and they have an excellent basketball program and my dad went to Duke and Carolina. So we're a little bit of a divided house, but Carolina is where I was born. I was born in University Hospital in Chapel Hill and I'll always be a little Carolina blue, all right.
Speaker 1:Carolina blue. I'm still a Seminole fan.
Speaker 2:That's okay too. That's all right, that's still in the conference for now, for now.
Speaker 1:I know, that's all right. That's still in the conference for now, for now, I know. Uh, so I know we like we on the personal topic, that's all right. I want you to tell us something now that your professionals right associates wouldn't know that you're doing your spare time. They wouldn't know, would not know. Well, you like hunting or anything like that that you do in your spare time.
Speaker 2:No, it's not hunting. I I do love to swim, okay, and I love concerts. I'm a huge music buff. I love that, and I love every kind of music, from blues to 70s country bluegrass. I was raised on bluegrass, so I like a little bit of everything.
Speaker 1:So tell us, if you would, what's the best compliment you've received professionally?
Speaker 2:that's something that I said to someone. Help them do their job better.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I had a tremendous preceptor when I did my AIT about 32 years ago and I still do things to this day that she taught me then. And when I mentor new administrators or even other professionals and I have a chance to pass that wisdom on, I do so, and when they tell me that they've used it, or they've reflected on that, then that's a huge compliment to me.
Speaker 1:Very big compliment Hearing from even now I have CNAs from like five years ago that I work with cause I don't have the long tenure like you, but just to remember my birthday and you know, text me and say happy birthday hey you know, norm, this building is open over here.
Speaker 1:You want to be the administrator? You know it's a wonderful compliment from, and is open over here. You want to be the administrator? You know it's a wonderful compliment, uh, from, and I received that from every level. Uh, you know, so I can just attest to that absolutely.
Speaker 2:When somebody follows you somewhere, too, that's a huge compliment. Compliment, yeah, it's very good.
Speaker 1:I always used to say it. I'm not causing any drama here on the show. I always just say you have a director of nursing that's coming to your building. She can't bring anybody, that's a sign that is a sign right there. It is a huge sign ashton hill, yeah, as the health making waves uh here in the state of florida, uh, so what impact you'd say uh, long term in the long-term care industry? Uh, your role with ashton health, uh has impacted.
Speaker 2:But overall as an organization, the impact in senior care, I think, probably just bringing some awareness more of what the organization does, what we kind of find our niche to be and what our reach is. Aston is now 50 buildings. We have buildings from Pensacola down to Delray Beach, all across Jacksonville, down the I-4 corridor, all over the state of Florida. So we've grown tremendously. We've almost doubled in size in the last two years. So Aston's done a wonderful job of maximizing our impact. In the areas that we can, we grow our own. So we do a very strong AIT program and we encourage our VPs of operations to be mentors and to continue to build their bench and grow and grow their own Absolutely.
Speaker 1:I will also give compliments to Asking Health. About is the upgrades in facilities, because a lot of these facilities you don't see as much investment but the upgrades and entering to those facilities, because it's very nice facilities that you guys have but the upgrades and entering to those facilities, because it's very nice facilities that you guys have.
Speaker 1:Thank you, but it didn't start that way, no, so I really appreciate that. And just because I go, I cover with Evolutionary Healthcare sponsor of the show, by the way I actually cover Central Florida, so I go to Orlando, tampa, sarasota, boca Raton, delray Beach, so I see the different facilities there. So really good job overall and as we wrap up your show here today, ms Morris, if you could share your messagea message to future long-term care professionals.
Speaker 2:Oh gosh, my message. Continue to pay it forward. Somebody paid it forward to you.
Speaker 2:So, you continue to do it forward. Somebody paid it forward to you, so you continue to do the same. Nominate someone for a Florida Leader Program through FHCA. Get involved in FHCA as much as you possibly can. Bring more awareness to the organization that you work with. If there's an organization that you want to work with, get more involved with what they do. Promote yourself, always promote yourself. If you can't sell yourself, then you're not going to be able to sell the care you provide. There you go, so pay it forward and be that mentor. Yeah, that's a big one. I want to add, mr Carnegie.
Speaker 1:he stated something that I still. He said if you want success and you want to become rich, make yourself valuable. That's right, right. You want to attract those things make yourself valuable.
Speaker 2:I couldn't agree more.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and as we wrap up, this show is always dedicated to our caregivers and families out there. If you could share your message to caregivers and families throughout the world, whoever listened to the show?
Speaker 2:I guess probably the last thing I would share is, if you're going to take care of a resident, make sure what you're doing is the right thing. Always do the right thing. And if you're going to ask yourself about a decision that you're making in the role that you serve, ask yourself if it's going to improve resident care and the quality of care that you provide, because that's always going to be the right answer.
Speaker 1:Right, absolutely, that's a good answer. Good answer. Well, ms Julius Morris, president of Florida Healthcare, on the let's Get Comfy podcast, I became somebody, so thank you so much for doing this.
Speaker 1:Thank you, thank you, my pleasure, appreciative for it, but I like to joke and play around. But I thank you for joining here and we are in Orlando 2025 Florida Healthcare Conference and Trade Show. I'm with the Florida Healthcare President Board of Director, julie Morrison. Stay tuned. Be sure to like, comment, subscribe on YouTube, apple, all your podcast platforms that you desire to listen to the show. Please tune in and subscribe. I know typically people don't like to tune in to healthcare type of platforms, but this is Florida's number one healthcare entertainment station. Tune in and subscribe. I know typically people don't like to tune in to health care type of platforms, but this is Florida's number one health care entertainment station. Tune in, thank you.
Speaker 2:This episode of let's Get Comfy was brought to you by Evolutionary Health Care. Caring is what we do.
