Vet nursing home gets new administrator

Florida Department of Veterans Affairs Executive Director Mike Prendergast informed Historic City News that he will announce the appointment of a new administrator for the Clyde E. Lassen State Veterans’ Nursing Home in St. Johns County tomorrow.

At ceremonies being held at the facility Friday at 1:15 p.m., Diane D. King will be installed as administrator of the fully accredited nursing home which is one of seven state veterans’ homes in Florida. It was opened to residents and staff on September 25, 2010.

King has a Master’s Degree in Health Care Administration from Georgia State University and has been a licensed nursing home administrator at various facilities in Florida since 1997. King also has supervisory experience inspecting nursing homes and assisted living facilities with Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration.

Since April of last year, King has been administrator of Avante at Mt. Dora; a 116 bed privately owned skilled nursing facility in Mount Dora, FL. The Lassen State Veterans Nursing Home, where King is now assigned, is a 120-bed facility offering skilled nursing care to veterans in the St. Johns County area. They are able to accommodate 60 residents with dementia-Alzheimer’s disease at the new facility.

If you plan to attend the installation ceremonies tomorrow, the Lassen State Veterans Nursing Home is located at 4650 State Road 16 in St. Augustine.

Army Col. Mike Prendergast, who retired from active duty in October 2009, was appointed by Florida Governor Rick Scott and his Cabinet to serve as executive director of the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs in June 2011.

The Tampa native served 31 years of active duty service as a Military Police Officer, with multiple combat deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as assignments in Africa, Europe and Asia. He culminated his military service with a tour at MacDill Air Force Base where he served on the staff of Gen. David Petraeus as the U.S. Central Command Provost Marshal.