Vice President for Long-Term Care at Kaleida Health Jonathan Hart is proud of the entire staff at HighPointe on Michigan and DeGraff Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Facility, but the uniqueness of the leadership team represents a milestone in Western New York's long-term care history. “These highly qualified professionals are, I believe, the first all women-of-color leadership team at a long-term care facility in Kaleida Health’s history,” he said.
Take a moment to learn the back story of our HighPointe nursing leaders, all Buffalo-born women who rose through the ranks to achieve the positions they now hold.
Garynique Ferguson, RN, senior director of nursing at HighPointe on Michigan, is a Buffalo native with nearly a quarter of a century of experience in the long-term care (LTC) field. Although she envisioned herself working in an acute care setting at the start of her career, she has advanced steadily in LTC, having held the following positions throughout her journey: nurse manager, supervisor, minimum data set (MDS) coordinator, wound nurse, in-service educator, assistant director of nursing, and utilization manager. She has also worked as a clinical instructor for the Buffalo Public Schools Adult Education Certified Nurse Assistant Training program and Western New York Developmental Disabilities Services Office.
“While attending Bennett High School, I became interested in the Buffalo Vocational Training Center’s LPN program, but I chose not to attend because of scheduling conflicts in the law magnet program I was enrolled in.” After graduating high school, however, she enrolled at Trocaire College and entered the RN program. That’s when she got her first job in a skilled nursing facility.
“I have enjoyed the history and personalities of the people I cared for over the years, and long-term care became what I most wanted to remain a part of,” she said. While she can’t identify a single event that guided her decision to become a nurse, “caring for and helping people is always something I have been drawn to,” she said.
Keira McGlothin, BSN, RN, is one of HighPointe’s two assistant directors of nursing, was also born and raised in Buffalo. Her passion for nursing was awakened while caring for her grandfather who was suffering from dementia. She began her career with Kaleida Health in 2004 as a certified nursing assistant at Millard Fillmore Gates Hospital, obtaining her LPN from Erie 1 BOCES in 2005. While working as the charge nurse on the rehab unit, she was promoted to LPN unit manager in 2008 and then moved on to her current home when Highpointe on Michigan opened in 2011.
With the encouragement of nursing administration, she earned her RN in 2012 and a bachelor’s degree in 2020. After serving in a managerial role from 2008 until 2021, she was named assistant director of nursing at HighPointe in 2021.
“Remaining in long-term care has been my only goal. I see such a need for the aging population to receive compassionate and consistent care from staff who are truly invested in making their moments matter,” she said. “While I do miss the bedside nursing aspect of care, I feel that I can make a difference for both the residents I love and the staff that go above and beyond to keep our residents safe and comfortable.”
Now a wife and mother of three sons, and a doting grandmother, she said, “I am also very proud of the staff at HighPointe on Michigan, in all departments, for all that they do, and for their continued efforts to make HighPointe a home for our residents.”
Rhonda Cornelius, BSN, RN, HighPointe’s other assistant director of nursing, was born in Buffalo to a single mother of three children who worked hard to put all her children through Catholic school. “It was because of my mother that I was inspired to become a nurse,” said Cornelius. “She was a home health aide when I was a child and she would sometimes take me along to work.” Seeing firsthand the care she provided her clients convinced Cornelius that her mother was “the kindest, most caring and loving woman in the world.”
Cornelius earned her LPN in 2000. She worked in LTC as an LPN staff nurse and nurse manager before returning to school to obtain an Associate of Applied Science in nursing from Trocaire College in 2012. In 2015, she received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Daemen University, graduating magna cum laude.
With more than 20 years in health care, including home care, behavioral health, substance abuse counseling, clinics and acute care, she has spent the majority of her career in LTC. “I’ve held several positions such as staff nurse, charge nurse, unit manager, supervisor and MDS coordinator,” she said. “I also have experience as clinical instructor for the LPN program at Erie 1 BOCES.”
When not working, she spends time with her “amazing” husband and daughter. “My husband and I have a company, RC Enterprises, to stage multiple events throughout the year highlighting the community and promoting small businesses,” she said. She is also an active member of the professional association Buffalo Black Nurses Inc.
Pictured above (l to r): Assistant Director of Nursing Rhonda Cornelius, RN; Senior Director of Nursing Garynique Ferguson, RN; Assistant Director of Nursing Keira McGlothin, RN.
If you or someone you know is interested in a career with HighPointe on Michigan or DeGraff Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Facility, please contact Angela Mostiller at 716-913-6121 (voice or text messaging) or via email at ARMostiller@KaleidaHealth.org.