Kore Cares and Avera Joint Venture Announcement

Kore Cares has exciting news! Read this week’s blog from Co-Founder and CEO, Gabrielle Hoing to learn about where Kore Cares has come from and the exciting future that awaits Kore Cares. 

I’m writing today with an exciting announcement, but I want to start by reflecting on where we started.

We founded Kore Cares in 2016 with a desire to do things differently than most in the home care industry. We wanted to create a business model that focused on empowering employees to use their God-given gifts and talents to serve those in need. These four things in particular were key priorities:

1.       Training: I noticed the majority of home care agencies did a quick orientation with the mandated training required by the state, and then that was it. At Kore Cares we have a training room for hand-on training, a robust library of online learning courses, a shadowing program for caregivers to learn from their peers – and the opportunity for caregivers to get their certified nursing assistance (CNA) certification.

2.       Benefits: I wanted to offer my employees benefits. Less than 50% of home care agencies offer benefits due to the low reimbursement for services. Kore Cares offers a full suite of affordable benefits including health insurance, supplemental policies like vision and dental, paid time off, bonuses and a retirement plan. We are constantly trying to find ways we can strengthen these benefits while maintaining financial stability.

3.       Feedback: I started out in the health care industry as a CNA and realized right away the power of learning from feedback from the front-line staff and clients. I wanted to create a company that learned from feedback and strived every day to improve. This is why we do reviews with staff every 90 days, touch base with our clients, conduct our own surveys as well as have an independent firm, Home Care Pulse, help us measure client and employee satisfaction.

4.       Culture: I wanted to create a company culture where everyone felt welcome and valued, where we provided opportunities to learn and grow, where caregivers who work individually in clients’ homes still feel supported and part of a team. We believe that if we (1) empower individuals to use their God-given gifts to serve those in need and (2) inspire them to live their dreams and be the best version of themselves, we will, in turn, fulfill our clients’ dreams to live their best life at home as long as possible.

I knew that someday, when we had been able to execute on the four areas mentioned above and proven the success of our business model, we would want to expand Kore Cares to other parts of the state. Recently Avera@Home presented Kore Cares with an opportunity to do just that, which leads me to the exciting announcement:

Kore Cares and Avera@Home have reached an agreement to form a joint venture that will expand access to home care in the state of South Dakota. The partnership is founded on a shared mission and mutual goal of expanding access to home care through a model that helps both employees and clients live their best lives.

Over the last six years our team has grown from two people to sixty. We are extremely grateful for the clients who have shared their lives with us and for the team members who live out our mission and values. This new phase provides opportunity to expand our scope to provide services to more of the people in the community who need our care.

This joint venture will provide the college students we employ a direct line to post-secondary jobs with a reputable and major health care system. For our career caregivers, the expansion of Kore Cares will give us opportunities to strengthen our compensation package. Overall, this joint venture will give us more tools and opportunities to attract and retain much-needed staff.

So where exactly will Kore Cares be expanding to? By the end of the year, we hope to have established agencies in Mitchell, Yankton, Aberdeen and surrounding communities. We are currently hiring staff to help support this growth so if you are looking for a new and exciting opportunity to be a part of huge growth in the home care industry in South Dakota, please take a look at our website for our list of open positions.

I cannot express enough my heartfelt gratitude for all the friends, family, referral partners, mentors, and for the Kore Cares team for believing in what this agency could do and for the unlimited support everyone has given to help this agency thrive. This is an extremely exciting time for the Kore Cares team, current and future Kore Cares clients, Avera@Home and home care in South Dakota.

Sincerely,

Gabrielle Hoing

Gabrielle Hoing

CEO, Kore Cares