hospice and healthcare staffing services

Business expansion, most recently in San Diego, signals strategic plans for increased access and growth in home healthcare support and services in the U.S., Europe and Australia.

SUNRISE, Fla. — Caring Brands International (CBI), the company that owns the leading franchisors of global home healthcare services in each of the markets it serves including Interim HealthCare, today announced the completion of three significant home healthcare franchise acquisitions in the last six months. By bringing these locations into the CBI portfolio, the company is building on its strong momentum and commitment to help meet growing home healthcare, hospice and support needs for its customers in the United States, United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Australia and Saudi Arabia.

The most recent acquisition of the home health and hospice operations of Interim HealthCare of San Diego, which successfully closed in January 2021, marks the first managed acquisition within the Interim HealthCare network domestically in over a decade. Operating as a stand-alone subsidiary of CBI offering home health and hospice services, this location can now focus on building out its current business footprint and delivering on its growth potential to support even more lives served in the region.

“In preparing my exit plan for retirement, I was grateful to have many options,” said Wendy Olayvar, 12-year franchise owner of Interim HealthCare of San Diego. “I spent my career supporting the comprehensive home healthcare and hospice needs of the San Diego community, which made it my driving concern to leave a legacy that would be maintained to benefit our amazing employees and the clients, patients and families we so proudly serve. Having the business return to Interim HealthCare Inc. makes me both excited and gratified that this team’s hard work and dedication will continue forward and ultimately enable them to serve more lives in the San Diego area.”

“We are honored that Wendy chose this path as part of her retirement plan. As we have witnessed throughout 2020, the demand for delivering high-quality home-based healthcare services has never been more essential especially during a public health emergency,” said Jennifer Sheets, president and CEO of Caring Brands International and Interim HealthCare Inc. “With our latest acquisition of Interim HealthCare of San Diego, we are excited to support the growth of strategically selected managed locations in the United States that will help even more patients obtain the quality care they need in the preferred and most efficient and effective site of care: their home.”

Despite a recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, patient and customer need for a full continuum of home healthcare and support services has only continued to grow globally. As COVID-19 unfolded, hospitals and health care systems turned to home healthcare leaders like Interim HealthCare for support in helping to manage the surge, by treating discharged and less acute patients, and keeping them safe at home. In addition, the U.S.-based 55-year-old company has helped to professionally staff COVID-19 clinical needs in hospitals, long-term care facilities and for screening, testing and vaccination sites.

In other recent examples of CBI’s investment in its growth and ability to meet increasing home healthcare needs around the world, the organization made strategic acquisitions related to its Bluebird Care brand in Ireland and its Just Better Care operations in Australia.

• Purchase of Northern Sydney Just Better Care Location (November 2020): Just Better Care, the leading home care provider in Australia, acquired local Sydney franchise location Just Better Care Northern Suburbs. The acquisition of Just Better Care Northern Suburbs strengthens Just Better Care Australia’s support of the Sydney-area senior community and those seeking in-home care services. The Northern Suburbs territory is managed through Just Better Care’s Northern Beaches location under the name of Just Better Care Northern beaches and Northern Suburbs.
• Purchase of Ireland Bluebird Care Master Franchise Agreement (June 2020): Bluebird Care Franchises Limited recently acquired the Irish Master Franchise business from Clemac Ltd. The transaction enabled the Bluebird Care brand franchising rights throughout Ireland, which currently holds 26 franchise locations. Bluebird Care franchise owners in Ireland are now more directly part of the wider Bluebird Care Franchise Network which includes England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and provides more direct access to award-winning, wide-ranging franchise support and services.

To learn more about buying and operating an Interim HealthCare franchise business, please visit: www.interimfranchising.com. Those who currently own another home healthcare business and may be interested in exploring potential transition options may email: exploreselling@interimhealthcare.com.

About Caring Brands International
Caring Brands International (CBI) is the largest franchisor of home healthcare services globally with more than 550 locations around the world. CBI offers franchises under three brands: Interim HealthCare (United States and Saudi Arabia), Bluebird Care (United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland) and Just Better Care (Australia). CBI’s branches and franchisees offer individuals, referral sources and strategic partners a full continuum of care including skilled nursing, assistance with daily living activities and end-of-life hospice care.   

About Bluebird Care
Bluebird Care is the UK’s largest national independent provider of care and support at home services, demonstrating the highest standards of quality, professionalism and expertise with every home visit. Bluebird Care started as a small family business in 2004 and through franchising the business model in 2006, the organisation is today one of the largest providers of homecare, live-in care and support services across the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland.

With over 200 offices, the Bluebird Care franchise owner network provide over 20,000 visits to customers every day, revolutionising the way high quality and bespoke care is delivered not only to older people, but also to those with specialist care needs, children and their families. With a mantra of, “Home is where the heart is, let’s keep it there”, you can find out more information on the care and support at home options that are offered by Bluebird Care by visiting: https://www.bluebirdcare.co.uk/ and https://www.bluebirdcare.ie.

About Just Better Care
Established in 2005, Just Better Care is one of Australia’s largest accredited franchised providers of in-home home care services in Australia, delivering in-home social and lifestyle support services that enable people to live independently. Just Better Care currently has over 40 independently owned and operated franchise territories covering NSW, Queensland, Victoria, the ACT, Western Australia and the successful franchisor is currently expanding its footprint of local offices into Tasmania. The Just Better Care mission is to provide high quality personalised services “just for you” to those requiring assistance to live independently and thrive personally. To find out more about Just Better Care visit justbettercare.com.

SOURCE Interim HealthCare Inc.

With over five decades of experience building a thriving franchise network, Interim HealthCare offers opportunities for both long-term business success and individual career growth.

SUNRISE, Fla. — Interim HealthCare Inc., the nation’s leading franchise network of home care and personal care, healthcare staffing, and hospice services, ranked No. 1 in the Senior Care category of Entrepreneur magazine’s annual Franchise 500®. This marks the company’s third consecutive year achieving this ranking, while also moving up 40 spots in 2021 to No. 101 overall. The Franchise 500® is the world’s first, best and most comprehensive franchise ranking.

Interim HealthCare has a long history of providing franchise offerings that span the continuum of care. The company is currently mobilizing its nationwide franchise network to assist with staffing COVID-19 vaccine distribution centers to ensure the efficient delivery to seniors, essential workers and eventually the full U.S. population. In addition, the company is focused on filling the ongoing demand for healthcare workers with jobseekers who have a passion for service in the home healthcare space.

“I’m proud of our franchisees’ continued dedication to providing quality care to patients in the preferred and most efficient site of care: their home. The value of home-based care has become particularly relevant, especially in light of challenges the COVID-19 pandemic has created for stakeholders of our country’s complex healthcare ecosystem,” said Jennifer Sheets, president and CEO of Interim HealthCare. “This recognition validates our differentiation as a franchise brand in not only supporting the increased demand of the aging population, but also providing a full range of home healthcare services from complex medical care to hospice. It also further demonstrates Interim HealthCare’s sustained growth potential as a stable, timeless, multiple service line and revenue stream business opportunity.”

Placement in the Franchise 500® is a highly sought-after franchise industry honor making it one of the company’s most competitive rankings ever. Recognized as an invaluable resource for potential franchisees, the Franchise 500® ranks companies based on outstanding performance in areas including unit growth, financial strength and stability, and brand power.

“2020 was a challenging year for everyone, but it was also a year of unusual opportunity,” says Jason Feifer, Entrepreneur editor-in-chief. “Franchises were able to be nimble and innovative, serving the needs of franchisees and customers in ways that will resonate for many years to come. We believe that, when we eventually look back on this time, we’ll see it as a moment when many brands defined themselves for the future.”

Interim HealthCare worked tirelessly over the past year to empower its franchise owners to connect with communities and national leaders, helping to answer the call for COVID-19 support. As a result, the company has risen as one of the most successful business opportunities for future owners and operators, proven by its strong leadership through the pandemic. Some of its many innovative responses to the crisis included:

• Introducing the first specialty program specifically designed to address and support the unique challenges of those diagnosed with COVID-19, based on the company’s proprietary HomeLife Enrichment® standard of care.
• Creating a trailblazing solution to address the PPE shortage by sourcing and procuring fairly priced critical inventory and offering it to the home care industry globally. This ensured that all safety precautions could be followed by Interim HealthCare’s network of franchise owners and operators to protect and care for patients and employees.
• Pushing for advocacy and awareness at the state and federal levels for home healthcare’s recognition as a mission-critical part of the complex healthcare ecosystem, by ensuring inclusion of home healthcare as “essential workers” and enabling owners and staff to continue providing their crucial services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Launching Made For This, a nationwide, purpose-driven recruiting campaign. Among its target audiences are those suffering job loss or displacement in other customer-service related sectors (food service, retail, hospitality) who are invited to consider a new career path in home healthcare.

In Entrepreneur’s continuing effort to best understand and evaluate the ever-changing franchise marketplace, the company’s 42-year-old ranking formula continues to evolve as well. The key factors that go into the evaluation include costs and fees, size and growth, support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability. Each franchise is given a cumulative score based on an analysis of more than 150 data points, and the 500 franchises with the highest cumulative scores become the Franchise 500® in ranking order.

To view Interim HealthCare in the full ranking, visit www.entrepreneur.com/franchise500. Results can also be seen in the January/February 2021 issue of Entrepreneur, available on newsstands January 26th.

For more information about Interim HealthCare’s franchise opportunities, please visit: https://www.interimfranchising.com.

As local healthcare providers and governments implement phased vaccine distribution, staffing shortage of qualified healthcare workers remains top challenge.

SUNRISE, Fla. — Interim HealthCare Inc., the nation’s leading franchise network of healthcare staffing services and home healthcare, hospice and personal care support, is ready to address the staffing needs required nationwide and be a major part of the COVID-19 distribution. Local Departments of Health are closely monitoring guidance and operations established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. To this effort, local Departments of Health across the U.S. need the skilled resources of staffing professionals to source and place the necessary healthcare providers to administer the vaccine, including those employed by Interim HealthCare.

As the First in Healthcare Staffing™, multiple Interim HealthCare franchise locations are working with state Departments of Health to provide healthcare staffing services for individual state-organized distribution plans, but also with hospitals, pharmacies, skilled nursing homes and senior care communities to reduce long wait times. These professionals are helping to ensure effective vaccine distribution to seniors, essential workers and eventually the full U.S. population.

Shari and Scott LaFavre, owners of Interim HealthCare of Minneapolis, and their team launched a COVID-19 Call Center to provide the local hospital system with immediate and on-demand staffing support. A total of 52 staffing service employees, including registered nurses and assistants, are working full time at the hospital level to provide the necessary coverage to administer the COVID-19 vaccine. This is making it possible for in-house nurses and providers to continue caring for those at the bedside. A successful model, the local Interim HealthCare franchise location expects the staffing needs to continue over the next six months at these current levels and remain steady for all of 2021.

With reports of millions of COVID-19 vaccine doses sitting in storage, waiting to reach intended recipients, there is risk that doses could become obsolete as their shelf life expires. With state-level distribution efforts and hospitals already strained for care providers, Interim HealthCare’s workforce is being deployed to serve the U.S. healthcare ecosystem with timely support of trusted healthcare staff experienced in the full continuum of care and vaccine distribution.

“The availability of the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are nothing short of medical miracles, although their availability is exciting, the U.S. healthcare ecosystem grapples with how to effectively distribute and staff for the administration of the vaccine,” said Jennifer Sheets, president and CEO of Interim HealthCare Inc. “As a registered nurse, I have seen first-hand the power of life-saving medicine. Our healthcare providers have never backed down from a challenge and they’re stepping up again now for our entire healthcare system and those who need it.”

The Interim HealthCare team of professionals have led the charge in COVID-19 safety by providing temperature screening and testing services to essential businesses, law enforcement agencies, academic institutions, and healthcare facilities nationwide – as well as mobilizing partnership alignment with local medical labs to expedite test results. With the vaccine rollout, Interim HealthCare locations are strategically stationed across the country to help keep those at the highest risk safe and to make available the proper staffing needed to ensure a swift and effective distribution for all of the U.S.

With a more than 20-year history facilitating flu and pneumonia vaccine clinics, local owners are more than prepared to support the administration of COVID-19 vaccinations according to CDC guidelines as we look to return life to some normalcy.

Interim HealthCare is the country’s oldest and longest-standing healthcare franchise organization, and all locations are owned and operated locally in 41 states across the country. Interim Healthcare franchises are also recruiting prospective employees in a range of career paths from LPNs, RNs, therapists and CNAs to paraprofessionals (home health, hospice and support aides). Interim HealthCare extends a warm welcome to those new to the healthcare industry from other sectors of the economy recently impacted by job loss due to the public health emergency including restaurant and food service, hospitality and tourism and retail and other customer service fields.

For more information on Interim HealthCare staffing services, please visit:

https://info.interimhealthcare.com/covid-19-vaccination-staffing

Ethan Sowell of Easley, South Carolina commended for going above and beyond to safely rehabilitate patients at home to protect them from COVID-19 exposure risks.

SUNRISE, Fla. — Interim HealthCare Inc., the nation’s leading franchise network of home care, senior care, home health and hospice and healthcare staffing services, names Ethan Sowell, physical therapist, as the 2020 Therapist of the Year. Ethan earned widespread appreciation from patients and leaders for his commitment to delivering compassionate care and supporting the mission of Interim HealthCare of the Upstate in South Carolina.

This honor is given to an individual who embodies Interim HealthCare’s core values of integrity, compassion and customer focus. Physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, physical therapy assistants and certified occupational therapy assistants were all eligible to receive the award.

“Ethan consistently receives compliments about his dedication and compassion from his patients and their families,” said Katherine Craven, RN, clinical manager for Interim HealthCare of the Upstate. “We greatly appreciate his professionalism and how he consistently goes above and beyond for his patients and to further the mission of our home healthcare agency.”

Since joining Interim HealthCare of the Upstate in 2018, Ethan quickly advanced to become a therapy lead. He also trains new therapists on home healthcare essentials, the importance of following orthopedic physician protocols, and how to use the company’s electronic medical record system.

Having access to quality physical therapy in the home is a critical part of the care continuum, as it places patients back on the path to improved health and wellness and can avoid rehospitalizations. Therapists also play an integral role on the care team and in helping people to regain their productivity and independence.

This year, Ethan also helped patients and their families navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. This work included ensuring that a patient recovering from a brain tumor removal received the expert rehabilitation needed at home to prevent a transfer to a hospital or long-term care facility with higher infection risks.

“I’m honored to be named as the 2020 Therapist of the Year,” said Ethan Sowell. “I chose home healthcare as the site of my physical therapy work because I get to build more personal relationships to help patients rehabilitate from a wide variety of medical conditions where they feel most comfortable, and where healthcare outcomes are improved. It makes me happy to have a rewarding career that enables me serve and support others.”

To find more future award-winning employees, Interim HealthCare also recently launched its ‘Made for This‘ recruiting campaign. The company seeks employees for a range of career paths from paraprofessionals (home health, hospice and support aides) to LPNs, RNs, therapists, and CNAs. Interim HealthCare is also recruiting service-oriented people wanting to transition from other industries, or those looking to change healthcare careers to gain more flexibility and autonomy.

For more information about working with Interim HealthCare, please visit  https://www.interimhealthcare.com/careers/.

Melissa Williams of Tallahassee, Florida recognized for her compassion toward clients and career committed to caregiving.

SUNRISE, Fla. — Interim HealthCare Inc., the nation’s leading franchise network of home care, senior care, home health and hospice and healthcare staffing services, names Melissa Williams, HHA/CNA, as its 2020 Paraprofessional of the Year. Caring for individuals and families in Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon and Wakulla counties, Melissa has been a member of the Interim HealthCare of Tallahassee, Florida team since 2015.

This honor is given to an individual that provides exemplary patient care and continuously demonstrates the H.E.A.R.T. qualities of Interim HealthCare paraprofessionals, which stands for Honorable, Experience, Ability, Reliability and Training.

Melissa’s work in Interim Healthcare of Tallahassee’s senior independent living facility consists of seeing 10-13 patients a day for short visits focused on wellness checks and medication reminders. Despite challenges brought on by COVID-19, Melissa has remained dedicated to her work and extremely diligent about keeping her multiple clients safe from infection. In addition, she consistently brainstorms ways for her team to better serve patients, such as being at the forefront of the staff’s adoption of Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) and mobile device documentation earlier in the year.

“Melissa has been an excellent home health aide and member of our team for over five years. But over the past eight months especially, she has led the way for our team to improve processes and introduce substantial modifications to our workflows,” said Cynthia Lavoie, owner of Interim HealthCare of Tallahassee. “The efficiency, stamina, and personal interaction that she brings to each of her clients, six days a week, is truly admirable. Her clients genuinely look forward to seeing her every day and we are so lucky to have a caregiver like Melissa on our staff.”

Melissa is also invested in her education and was the first of Interim HealthCare of Tallahassee’s employees to complete the company’s Care Professional Development Path for Aides program, also known as the Pin program. The program allows employees to earn specializations through continuing education to expand their career path in caregiving, earning raises for each level accomplished. Thanks to her credentialed knowledge base, Melissa is the first person assigned to assist new clients in the senior independent living facility, and is also frequently asked to train new staff.

Melissa’s advancement within the company is a testament to Interim HealthCare’s commitment to professional career expansion. First in Home Care®, the home healthcare leader provides advancement opportunities for all caregivers, including aides, with specialized training and professional certifications to improve clinical outcomes, as well as business and operations opportunities. As Melissa found, home healthcare is the perfect setting for those who enjoy serving others, are selfless, trustworthy, lead with compassion, and are dependable workers both independently and as part of care team.

“I’m honored to be chosen as Interim HealthCare’s 2020 Paraprofessional of the Year, and to contribute to improving people’s lives through caregiving,” said Melissa. “The sense of purpose that I feel coming into work every day is what inspires me to keep growing in my career, and I’m grateful to Interim HealthCare for providing the resources to help me achieve that.”

To find more future award-winning employees, Interim HealthCare also recently launched its ‘Made for This‘ recruiting campaign. The company seeks employees for a range of career paths from paraprofessionals (home health, hospice and support aides) to LPNs, RNs, therapists, and CNAs. Interim HealthCare is also recruiting service-oriented people wanting to transition from other industries, or those looking to change healthcare careers to gain more flexibility and autonomy.

For more information about working with Interim HealthCare, please visit https://www.interimhealthcare.com/careers/.