Words by Reagan Young | Images by Justin Hunter
Sister nursing facilities, Ridgeview Health Services and Ridgewood Health Services, may have different locations and staff members, but both share a commitment to compassion, care, and a faith-filled approach to serving their residents. Administrators April Key (Ridgeview) and Annette Snow (Ridgewood) lead with humility, intentionality, and a can-do spirit that’s evident in every corner of their buildings.
Both women began their careers in elder care at a young age. April started working at Ridgeview at 19 as a “Helping Hand,” assisting CNAs by making beds and feeding residents. Working as a Helping Hand was all it took for her to fall in love with the profession, and after graduating from Bevill State Community College with a nursing degree, April accepted an RN position at Ridgeview in 2008 and has remained there since. Annette began her healthcare journey even earlier, at just 15, working in a nursing home in her hometown of Winfield, Alabama.
“I walked into the nursing home and thought, ‘I’ll be here two weeks and then I’ll find something else to do,’” says Annette. “And I left there 16 years later.”
That experience starting at the bedside has shaped how both women approach leadership today. Annette earned her CNA certification and then her LPN right after high school. She became an RN in 2005 and later served as Care Transitions Coordinator for a Birmingham-based group. At 50, she pursued her administrator’s license and, after passing her test in November 2022, stepped into her current role at Ridgewood.
April followed a similar path: CNA certification, RN licensure, and roles in Quality Assurance and Performance Improvement (QAPI). She later served as RN Supervisor and then Director of Nursing for seven years before becoming Ridgeview’s administrator two years ago.
When asked what motivates them to do their work well, without hesitation, April and Annette respond, “the residents.” Whether someone is staying long-term or recovering for just a few weeks, both administrators and their teams go the extra mile to ensure residents are cared for and comfortable.
“I don’t think there is anywhere I wouldn’t go to figure out what we need to do,” says Annette. “I am really not fond of getting on the roof, and I haven’t had to do that yet, but if I had to, I would go to the top of the ladder.”
No two days look the same for April and Annette. Their mornings begin with staff updates on the previous night’s events, followed by check-ins with residents and welcoming any new arrivals. From there, they handle whatever the day may bring. But one thing remains steady at both facilities: the role of faith. Each morning at Ridgeview and Ridgewood begins with prayer.
“It helps us to be calm and have peace for the day,” says April. “We are family. We laugh and we pray together.”
“We incorporate faith in everyday life,” adds Annette. “We allow it to flow through our facility.”
Staff members at both facilities recognize that April and Annette bring practical nursing experience and empathy to their administrator roles. These two ladies have personally cared for residents, fed them, bathed them, and continue to intentionally care for them. April and Annette strive to create a family environment where staff and residents alike are encouraged to ask questions and share their ideas and concerns.
“We are all family, and we are serious about what we do,” says Annette. “But we can also come in, laugh, and have a good time.”
The residents know them by name, and that’s exactly how April and Annette prefer it. Under their leadership, the standard of care is high, and the atmosphere is warm and personal. At the end of a long day, both administrators leave knowing their work matters.
“Seeing the residents get a smile, be happy, cut up with you, you go home and say, ‘Hey, that is worth it,’” says April.
Each May, National Skilled Nursing Care Week honors those who serve in places like Ridgeview and Ridgewood. For April and Annette, this calling is a way to love, lead, and lift others. And in doing so, they remind everyone around them what it truly means to care. WL
