November 8, 2007
Southside Virginia to receive enhanced personal care services
In order to better serve the needs of Southside residents needing personal care services, three of southern Virginia’s leading home care providers have united in a new business partnership. Personal Touch Home Care of Stony Creek, VA, Moore Home Care Services of Emporia, VA and Southern Touch Health Care Services of Petersburg, VA have come together to form Personal Care Preferred Group.
The benefits from this union will be appreciated by individuals who need home care and also those who provide the care. The three unified businesses will now be able to provide more staffing and training where and when needed, be able to service a larger geographic area, provide a wider variety of services and upgrade employee benefits.
The Stony Creek office of Personal Touch will serve as the main office for the group. Personal Care Preferred Group serves Brunswick, Chesterfield, Dinwiddie, Greensville, Prince George, Southampton and Sussex counties, as well as the cities of Colonial Heights, Hopewell, and Petersburg.
Personal Touch Home Care Services was founded in 1992 by John Thurman, who had previously been the Administrator at EmporiaÔø?s Greensville Memorial Hospital, and his late wife, Linda. Elaine Seymour, R.N., was is also a partner in the business. During ThurmanÔø?s tenure at the hospital, he saw many programs and services developed, including an at-home health care program that inspired him to start his own company offering similar services. Over the past 15 years, Personal Touch has grown to three locations, in Stony Creek, Colonial Heights and Waverly that service over 150 clients in seven counties. During this time Thurman has also remarried, with his current wife, Barbara, serving as the companyÔø?s Public Relations and Marketing Director.
Meanwhile, in 2006 the Thurmans, along with Sue and Jerry Moore, started another personal care business in Petersburg called Southern Touch Health Care Services. Though Southern TouchÔø?s market overlaps that of Personal Touch, it differentiates itself by providing personal care services to mostly private-pay individuals and to those seeking assistance at home for non-medical needs like shopping, pet-sitting and light cleaning. Southern Touch is gearing up to open another location shortly in Lawrenceville.
While Thurman was building his businesses and establishing a strong network of aids and clients, Sue and Jerry Moore were doing the same, primarily in the greater Emporia area, which Thurman also serviced. Moore Home Care Services was established in 2001 and has established in six short years a solid reputation of high quality service and dependability. Prior to starting Moore Home Care Services, Sue Moore, R.N. started the Home Health Program at Greensville Memorial Hospital and remained director of the program for 17 years.
Now, instead of being business competitors, the Thurmans and Moores are business partners. Ôø?The benefits that will result from this partnership will improve personal care services for the entire region,Ôø? says Thurman, who coined the name Personal Care Preferred Group. Ôø?Personal care is a more affordable and usually preferable alternative to nursing homes and assisted living facilities. This partnership is going to allow us to make this alternative a much more viable option for Southside Virginia and Tri-Cities residents and will allow us to set a new standard of personal care services in our market.Ôø?
Sue Moore recognized additional benefits to merging her company with the Thurmans. Ôø?The salaries and benefits that we will now be able to offer our employees as a result of this business merger will allow us to attract the most qualified staff and aids in our region, which will increase the level of service and professionalism we can offer our clients.Ôø? She added, Ôø?Over the next few months employees of the newly formed Personal Care Group can expect to see weekly instead of bi-weekly pay periods, direct deposit options, salary increases, referral bonuses, health insurance, credit union opportunities and more.Ôø?
According to the National Association for Home Care & Hospice, approximately 7.6 million individuals currently receive care from 17,700 providers because of acute illness, long-term health conditions, permanent disability or terminal illness. The U.S. Department of Labor reported that as Baby-Boomers begin to reach the senior age, the need for personal home care services is predicted to increase 40 percent. In Virginia, the number of home care agencies has increased by 70 percent since 2002 in order to meet this demand. Personal care is becoming a popular solution for older adults who need assistance, but wish to continue living in their home instead of a nursing home or other managed care facility.
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