THE CONNECTOR
— Winter 2011
2011 is the 100th anniversary of the founding of the non-profit home health care agency All Care VNA. Think about that for a minute – 100 years in the same place doing the same thing. What makes a company survive, grow and thrive for 100 years? It certainly does not happen by accident. It happens because All Care is committed to certain qualities that have remained the same since 1911: dedication, hard work, customer service, adaptability, dependability, flexibility, openness, honesty and sensitivity.
To find these qualities, you need look no further than the talented, dedicated and caring staff at All Care. These are the people who strive everyday to do whatever it takes to continue the century-long tradition of providing the best home care possible to those in need. In 1911, there was one nurse, Mary Sullivan. She would start her days by checking her calls at the local drug store and would ride her bike, walk or take a streetcar to provide care to her patients in their homes. She made more than 260 visits in that first year.
Now, more than 630 employees work every day with one goal in mind – caring for All Care’s clients. Many of these employees have been with the company for 15, 20, and even 30 years.
Kelly LeBlanc, senior executive administrative assistant, started with All Care 26 years ago.
“We’re like a family, all working as a team,” said LeBlanc. “It’s a company that’s patient-focused and proactive, and has never forgotten the personal touch.”
The common thread among All Care’s long-term employees is that they stay because they love what they do. At the end of each day, they know they have had the chance to make a difference in someone’s life.
Lynn native Diana Babbitt worked at Beverly Hospital before she was hired by All Care as a community health nurse 19 years ago. Today, she serves as All Care’s in-house intake nurse.
“Coming here, I was able to provide one-on-one care to patients, in their own environment,” she said. “All of us work closely together, getting a better picture of the whole patient.”
As health care needs have changed, so have services. All Care may now be called upon to provide skilled nursing, rehabilitation therapy, social work services and home health aides. All Care provides these services to their patients regardless of their ability to pay, and over the last 10 years the agency has provided $2.5 million in free or subsidized care.
“Our primary focus is excellent patient care, and I’m very proud of that,” said Clinical Manager Cindy Garland, who joined the All Care staff 18 years ago. “Clinically, home care is much more high-tech, the treatments are more complex and the visits are much more intensive than 100 years ago, or even 20 years ago. The skill set of our nurses has really widened. Today, we’re empowering people to manage their own health care.”
The sick, frail, elderly and those without anyone else to help – those are the individuals that All Care serves every day. The opportunity to make a difference in those lives is why All Care’s employees come back year after year – and why All Care is now celebrating 100 years of excellence.
For information on All Care Hospice, please visit https://allcare.org or call 1-800-351-8402.