Health & Wellness Magazine Community Of Caring - Summer 2019 | Page 6

YES
WE
CAN
HOW A YEARNING
FOR QUALITY
SPURRED THE
GROWTH OF A
NATIONALLY
RECOGNIZED GROUP
OF CARE PROVIDERS
HOW DOES a home support agency
grow? Like an onion, it’s a question with
a lot of layers. On CareGivers' journey
as an organization, the team has often
found that the answer is just as complex.
The growth of a home support agency
is no different than the growth of any
other business; it requires people who
are committed to the purpose of the
organization while being open and aware
of opportunities when they arise.
In 1996, CareGivers Inc. was formed as
a home support agency in response to
requests from regional health authorities
for private operators to begin providing
a service. In fact, many of the larger
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home support agencies in this province
started around that time and started
as a response to a similar demand. In
the early days everything was based on
paper, and while you’d have a complex
case from time to time, the most essential
skill a home support worker could
possess was often making a solid cup of
tea and being able to have a chat.
So how does a home support agency
grow to include child and youth care,
adult care, Indigenous child welfare
capacity development, and many other
services? Well, to paraphrase a popular
American President, the answer was
“Yes. We can.”
As you’ll read later in this magazine, the
group of services that have grown from
that initial home care agency all strive
to serve the community by listening to
their stakeholders and doing their best
to develop solutions to meet their needs.
But to listen and understand the needs of
a stakeholder is only part of the puzzle.
The second, and key, component is to
have the belief, and at times the audacity
to believe, that we can deliver world class
services right here in Newfoundland and
Labrador.
One of the key reasons why the
organization has continued to lead
the development of community health
services is their dissatisfaction with the
status quo and the embracement of
technology as a key service differentiator
for clients, employees, health authorities
and other stakeholders.
Company President Anne Whelan
says “We were the first home support
agency to be accredited by Accreditation
Canada. That was no accident. We
knew that quality needed to improve and
that the adoption of national standards
would help both our clients and our
organization.” Clients would receive a
higher level of service and satisfaction
while the organization would develop
operational discipline that would elevate
its work. CareGivers has been accredited
since 2004, and is nationally recognized
for its quality standards.
“We were also the first residential
care agency to be accredited by the
Commission on Accreditation of
Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF)” adds John
Whelan, Blue Sky Executive Director.
Again, that was not an accident.
“We knew that the
children and youth
who rely on us for
care deserved the best
possible service”
John adds, “and consequently,
we knew that adopting a quality
framework like CARF would focus
our efforts on improving the lives
of children across the province.”
But standards alone do not assure
effective and efficient service delivery.
That’s why the organization has
consistently been an early adopter
of information technology as a key
component of its operational structure.
By utilizing electronic health records and
real time employee monitoring, the group
ensures both the delivery of services and
the health, safety and welfare of their
employees. John notes, “we don’t use
technology just to say we use it: it’s an
investment that shows we want to do
better for our clients, for our employees,
and for the people equally committed to
their welfare.”