The three McKnight’s brands, based in Northbrook, Illinois, won a combined nine awards in the 2024 Awards for Publication Excellence, or APEX Awards. The winners of the international competition were announced in July. Awards recognized work published in 2023.

The haul of honors included two Grand Awards, the competition’s highest honor:

• In the Writing category, McKnight’s Senior Living Editor Lois Bowers and McKnight’s Senior Living Content Editor Kimberly Bonvissuto won for “Quality, safety, accountability vital, industry leaders say, as Washington Post report cites deaths at ‘dangerously understaffed’ communities.” The article detailed a package published in the Washington Post about assisted living and memory care community residents who had eloped and died — and senior living industry reaction to it.
• Also in the Writing category, McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Senior Editor Kim Marselas and McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Executive Editor James M. Berklan won for “Long-Term Care’s Story of the Year.” The entry, about a federal minimum staffing mandate for nursing homes, included a blog by Marselas and a breaking news story by Berklan and Marselas.

The McKnight’s brands also won a total of seven Awards of Excellence between them:

• Writing – Interviews & Personality Profiles: McKnight’s Home Care Editor Liza Berger and McKnight’s Home Care Staff Writer Adam Healy won for “Q and As with influential home care leaders.” The award recognizes several “Peer to Peer” articles written by Berger or Healy, such as “Lessons from tsunami continue to inspire California home care owner,” “Mass General Brigham strengthens hospital-at-home efforts despite expiring waiver,” “New Day Healthcare aims to rethink home care, CEO says” and “Chemist finds the right formula as Home Instead owner, operations director.”
• Feature Writing: Bowers won for “COVID, workforce, financial issues confront senior living providers as 2023 starts, leaders say.” The article featured interviews with several senior living industry leaders about pressing issues — and possible solutions — facing the industry as the new year got underway.
• Writing Series: Marselas won for “Rural Peril,” a series of articles about the plight of nursing homes located in rural areas of the United States. The series also included a podcast.
• Public Concerns & Trending Topics: Bowers won for “CMS’ HCBS access rule adds burdens, industry says.” The article, published in the July/August 2023 print issue of McKnight’s Senior Living, covered a rule proposed by the federal government to change the way assisted living providers spend Medicaid dollars they receive as well as establish quality measures for the care they provide to beneficiaries.
• Magazines, Journals & Tabloids – Print: Marselas, former McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Staff Writer Josh Henrecksen and McKnight’s Senior Art Director won for their work on the McKnight’s Long-Term Care News print magazine overall.
• Writing – Magazines, Journals & Tabloids: McKnight’s Senior Living editors and writers won for the quality of writing in the McKnight’s Senior Living print magazine.
• Best Series of Blog Posts: Marselas won for “Editors’ Notes on Workforce Issues.”

John O’Connor is the editorial director over all three of the McKnight’s brands.