Our Consultants
The Clay & Associates consultants have numerous years of experience in clinical leadership roles. We are proud of the knowledge, expertise, and longevity of our consultants. We have shared values – we want to promote good care when no one is looking, acknowledge when we can improve, and celebrate the successes along the way.
We believe, “When we cast our bread upon the waters, we can presume that someone downstream whose face we will never know will benefit from our action.” (Maya Angelou)
Allow our consultants the opportunity to be part of your successes.
Karen Clay, RN, BSN
Karen has 40+ years of RN experience in healthcare, with 30 years of dedicated leadership and consulting in long-term care settings. Karen is the founder of Clay & Associates and as Director of Clinical Operations manages all aspects of the consulting business. In addition to experience as a Director of Nurses, Regional Nurse, certified Wound Care nurse (CWCN), Risk Management Consultant, and long-term care consultant, she was previously a partner in the ownership/management of six SNF’s and two rest homes.
Karen’s professional background includes being a national speaker on survey readiness, wound management, and pressure injury prevention. She has worked with numerous Quality Improvement Organizations and healthcare associations. Karen is the author of three books: “The Long-Term Care Survey Preparation Handbook”, “Risk Management: Pressure Ulcers – A Prevention, Assessment, and Treatment Training Manual,” and “Evidence-Based Pressure Ulcer Prevention” (HCPro).
Karen provides leadership, education, support, and a sense of humor, to Clay & Associates consultants and customers. She provides a high level of expertise and a has developed extensive systems and tools to help providers navigate the day-to-day challenges. Karen is proud of the consulting team longevity and their shared values – commitment to our work, belief in our ability to make positive changes with our customers, and an understanding that “how” we do something is as important as “what” we do.
Vivian Brehaut Morgan RN, RAC-CT
Vivian has 45+ years of nursing experience. Starting her career as a bedmaker, Vivian steadily progressed to CNA, LPN, RN, Unit Manager, Nursing Supervisor, ADNS, DNS, MDS Coordinator, Nursing Consultant and previously was a partner in ownership/management of SNF’s. Vivian has worked in acute care, specializing in neurosurgical care. She also was Hospice Executive Director for a hospice she established and was a founding partner in a physician and ancillary care services company. She is not only a “jack of all trades” but notably is a “master of all”.
Critical to Vivian’s career success was her years devoted to working with developmentally disabled adults. She honed excellent assessment skills and learned the importance of observing, listening, being both human and humane, and advocating – she received numerous state recognition awards, including Governor’s Pride in Performance. Viv continues to serve as a Human Rights advocate. It was in this shared setting that Vivian and Karen (Clay & Associates) recognized shared values for care and it began a lifelong friendship and work partnership that has spanned 35 years.
Vivian has expertise in leadership, survey preparation, JCAHO accreditation preparation, risk management, rehab management, reimbursement, wound management, clinical care and education. She has particular competence in identifying opportunities for improvement and developing responsive strategies. Vivian inspires, motivates and mentors with ease. Her hands-on approach is complimented by a kind heart, an ever-present smile, and an ability to “calm the storm” in the midst of the challenges facing providers.
Kathy Lemire, RN
Kathy has 30+ years of experience in acute and long-term care settings and is the Director of Consultant Services and a certified Infection Preventionist. In her career Kathy has successfully fulfilled a wide variety of roles – IV nurse, Staff Development Coordinator, Director of Nurses, Regional Nurse, clinical consultant and was also a partner in ownership of a MA SNF. Kathy joined Clay & Associates in 2007 – since that time countless assisted living and long-term care providers have benefited from her skills.
Kathy has particular expertise in clinical system development, medical record review, JCAHO accreditation preparation, risk management and survey preparation/recovery. With strong clinical and organizational skills Kathy methodically works with interdisciplinary teams to develop and maintain systems to assure team confidence and “survey readiness” daily. A natural “educator”, Kathy recognizes and responds to “teachable moments”. Her extensive experience allows her to positively contribute to the resolution of a myriad of clinical/regulatory challenges that customers encounter.
Carol Dumas, RN, RAC-CT
Carol, a BSN Registered Nurse, is a Clinical Reimbursement Specialist with Clay and Associates. Carol is a certified AANAC Resident Assessment Coordinator and certified Infection Preventionist. Carol has worked in the long-term care industry for over 30 years and has held positions including MDS/PPS Coordinator, Unit Manager, Staff Development Coordinator, Director of Nursing, and Regional Reimbursement Coordinator. Carol, originally a per diem consultant since 2005, joined the consulting team full-time in 2019.
Carol has assisted several facilities with their PDPM transition and is skilled with reimbursement management and working with teams to improve assessment processes. Carol possesses the “eagle-eyed”/”attention- to- detail” focus required to optimize reimbursement strategies for care that is provided. She is adept at training and supporting new MDS/Reimbursement Specialists. Carol also assists in providing interim MDS coverage and is experienced with a wide variety of electronic health record platforms.
She is well-versed in CMS/DPH regulatory requirements and standards of care. Carol conducts detailed medical record reviews, participates in pre-survey audits, competency fairs and other clinical consulting projects. Carol is committed to accurate assessment of resident needs as a basis to improve the quality of care and resident outcomes.
Rob Tupper, RN
Rob, a Registered Nurse has 25 years of nursing experience, including long-term care, assisted living, hospice, and home care. Rob worked his way through the ranks, serving as staff nurse, charge nurse, supervisor, Unit Manager, MDS Coordinator, Director of Nursing Services, long-term care consultant, and ultimately as a partner in the ownership of a nursing facility. Ultimately, Rob returned to clinical consulting, his most fulfilling role. Rob joined the consulting team in 2010 and he continues to be a strong asset to our consulting team and his customers.
Rob is a certified Infection Preventionist, certified Resident Assessment Coordinator/MDS and is certified in Risk Management. He enjoys working with provider teams to enhance their overall effectiveness. Rob specializes in conducting medical record reviews, clinical audits, pre-survey assessments, post-survey recovery, and overall evaluation and improvement of clinical systems. Rob’s extensive clinical and regulatory experience, coupled with an ever-present sense of humor, makes him a “user-friendly” consultant who collaborates well with interdisciplinary team members.
Tara Dias, RN
Tara is a Registered Nurse and certified Infection Preventionist with over 30 years in Long Term Care, with the past 20 years in Management/Leadership Positions. In 1995, as a new RN graduate, Tara first met and worked with colleagues that ultimately formed Clay & Associates. Her enthusiasm for learning and for the nursing profession resulted in Tara ascending through the ranks – Nursing Supervisor, Unit Manager, Assistant Director of Nursing and Director of Nursing. (She ultimately became the DNS of the 254-bed facility she started in as a new grad.)
Tara then began nursing consulting work with Long Term Care facilities, Assisted Living facilities, LTAC’s, Adult Day Health, and Adult Foster Care. Tara continued professional growth, becoming a Regional Nurse Consultant, with responsibility for multi-facility oversight across several states. Finally, she came “home” to Clay & Associates in 2017 – back with her colleagues from her earlier “new grad” days. She returned a little older and a lot wiser – she understands the daily demands of these roles and applies that understanding to her approach with consulting.
Tara’s expertise in survey preparation/management, regulatory compliance, medical records reviews, plan of corrections, Quality Assurance/Performance Improvement plans, and mock surveys is well-established. Tara feels ownership for outcomes – this motivates her to work collaboratively with teams and to share in the mission to provide the best care possible.
Katlyn Brown, LPN
Katlyn is a Licensed Practical Nurse and nursing consultant and certified Infection Preventionist. Katlyn has served in numerous SNF roles, including staff nurse, Unit Manager, MMQ Coordinator, and Interim Assistant Director of Nurses. Katlyn is experienced in implementing clinical systems and educating/supporting the teams through changes.
Katlyn assists Senior Consultants in project management, clinical audits, Unit Manager training, clinical skill fairs, and pre-survey audits. Katlyn manages multi-facility incident tracking systems and detailed trending for interdisciplinary team review and QAPI management.
Katlyn’s easy-going manner, knowledge, and professionalism enables her to collaborate successfully with the interdisciplinary team and to complete projects with high quality outcomes. Katlyn is continuing her professional education with the goal of becoming an R.N.
Janet Hall, RN, RAC-CT
Janet is a Registered Nurse with over 35 years of varied clinical and consultative experience in the health care field. She began her Nursing career in the acute care setting, specializing in intensive care, cardiac care, and emergency care.
Janet’s career focus then shifted to long-term care in 1995, where she first met and worked with colleagues who ultimately formed Clay & Associates. Janet held various positions, including Director of Nursing, Unit Manager, MDS Coordinator, and Staff Development Coordinator. She served as Coordinator of a Physician’s Services company specializing in LTC (a new concept in LTC at that time), covering both Massachusetts and New Hampshire territories. She then became the Vice President of Clinical Services for a multi-facility LTC organization. From there, Janet became an independent nursing consultant, specializing in program development, implementation, turnaround activities, education, clinical management, and reimbursement, for which she is certified.
Janet returned “home” to the consultant team at Clay & Associates in March 2012, an affiliation that started in 1995. Janet’s diverse skill set, knowledge, professionalism and work ethic are complimented by her steady disposition and supportive/kind approach.
Stacy Robichaud, RN, BSN
Stacy is a Registered Nurse and certified Infection Preventionist with 15 years of experience. Stacy’s original career was as a hair stylist and salon owner when she decided she wanted to pursue health care! She first became a Licensed Practical Nurse, then Registered Nurse, obtained her Bachelor’s in Nursing and is now pursuing a Master’s degree. Notably, she has maintained 4.0 GPA throughout. Currently Stacy maintains RN licenses for Massachusetts, Vermont and Connecticut and actively works throughout New England.
Stacy has worked in numerous SNF roles with rapid ascension to leadership roles. She has worked as a unit manager, Infection Preventionist, Staff Development Coordinator, Assistant Director of Nurses, and Director of Nurses. As a ADNS/DNS, Stacy worked with the Clay & Associates leadership team for five years and then joined the team as a RN Clinical Consultant. Stacy has expertise in clinical systems management, regulatory compliance, risk management, education, survey preparation/response, jeopardy management and mentoring new nursing leadership team members.
Stacy has excellent critical thinking skills that have enabled her to have a solid root-cause approach to problem identification and performance improvement. Stacy’s varied experience, combined with her calm, organized and knowledgeable approach, has made her a valuable asset to our customers.