To All Dobson Healthcare Clients and Families,
As you probably know, earlier today, Governor Whitmer issued a Stay Home, Stay Safe Order through April 13th to all non-essential businesses at midnight tonight. Dobson Healthcare Services is considered essential business and as part of the critical infrastructure, we will remain open and continue to provide care to our home-bound clients.
Michiganders have been preparing for COVID-19 for weeks, and all individuals should continue to take the following basic personal-hygiene measures to prevent the spread of the virus:
- Wash your hands often with soap and water or use hand sanitizer;
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands;
- Cover your moth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing;
- Avoid handshakes;
- Avoid contact with sick people who are sick; and
- Stay home when you are sick.
If you need further information on COVID-19 please visit www.cdc.gov/coronavirus or call 800-232-4636.
Again, thank you for your choosing Dobson Healthcare as your home healthcare provider. As always we will remain available to each and everyone of you 24/7 by calling us as 866-866-8984. If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us.
Jami Dosbon RN, BSN
President-Founder
Dobson Healthcare was recognized as a Bronze Level Employer by the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency (MVAA) at a special event in East Lansing that was attended by Governor Rick Snyder.
The MVAA recognizes employers that commit to military veteran recruitment, training and retention practices by awarding those employers Gold, Silver and Bronze level status as Veteran-Friendly Employers. MVAA’s Veteran-Friendly Employer program helps qualified organizations recruit and retain top veteran talent while providing others a road map to improve their recruitment efforts.
Pictured with Governor Rick Snyder are Jami Dobson, President (3rd from left in front row) and Jenna Schrumpf, Director of Operations (3rd from left in back row)
What a great time we had in Lansing for the Brain Injury Association of Michigan’s 36th Annual Fall Conference! As a member of the Brain Injury Association of Michigan, we are proud to be a part of the largest brain injury conference in the nation! The two day conference received over over 2,000 attendees and Jenna Schrumpf (Director of Operations) and Jami Dobson (President & Founder) met with many of the supporters of brain injury awareness, education, and advocacy at the Dobson Healthcare booth!
A conference re-cap will be featured in our upcoming Thrive quarterly newsletter edition, but in the interim please make sure to check out “Unmasking Brain Injury,” an Art Prize entry created by our Neuro Rehab residents that was on display at the conference the last few days. Each mask was created by someone who has suffered a brain injury, each with their own unique story.
BAY CITY, MI — Bay County Toys for Tots has a new distribution home this holiday season.
Bay County’s campaign coordinator Jeff Jarvis said the Dobson family of Bay City has donated the use of its building at 3787 E. Wilder Road in Bangor Township where Toys for Tots officials will organize their annual toy distribution. He said the toys will be distributed before Christmas.
“The building is just for us to collect and sort the toys,” he said. “It’s not someplace that we’re going to be all year round.”
Toys for Tots and The Bay City Times are teaming up this holiday season to help make the holidays brighter for Bay County children.
Toys for Tots had previously operated out of downtown Bay City’s historic Dunlop Motor Co. building at the intersection of Washington and McKlinley avenues since 2011. The building had been available to Toys for Tots organizers while owners worked on leasing the property, but Jarvis learned this summer a finalized lease meant he would have to find a new home for Toys for Tots.
Jarvis said Toys for Tots is grateful the Dobson family offered to let the organization use the building.
“It’s very appreciated,” he said. “We’re so glad to have such giving people in the community that are allowing us to use the facility like that.”
More than 400 families already have applied for assistance since the Toys for Tots campaign began Monday, Oct. 28, Jarvis said. He said the locations for people to apply for the program have not changed.
Bay County residents can apply from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at Suite 2 of the United Way of Bay County building at 909 Washington Ave. in downtown Bay City, or from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at United Bay Community Credit Union at 209 N. Mable St. in Pinconning. The deadline to submit applications, which are available on the Toys for Tots website, is Monday, Dec. 16.
Applicants are required to provide their most recent Department of Human Services notice of case action, a driver’s license or state ID, birth certificates for each child receiving toys, and proof of income if not receiving financial assistance at the time of application.
Toys for Tots also is teaming up with the Bay Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Menardsthis weekend to fill a bus with toy donations.
A Fill the Bus event takes place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23, in the Menards parking lot at 2864 E. Wilder Road in Monitor Township. Toys and monetary donations are accepted.
“Last year, we collected about 160 toys, but I’d like to do more this year,” Jarvis said.
Monetary donations to Toys for Tots also can be made online or by check to: Bay County Toys for Tots, P.O. Box 35, Bay City, MI 48707-0035. Volunteer applications and forms to serve as a drop box location are available at baycountytoysfortots.org. For more information, contact the organization at 989-892-8687.
BAY CITY, MI – As Dobson Healthcare enters its 25th year, the company is seeking to continue the growth it has seen in recent years.
Since 2010, the home care provider has seen a 90 percent increase in new employees. It hopes to build upon this momentum by adding 25 employees in each quarter of 2013, totaling 100 for the year.
The company currently employs about 200 full-time and part-time employees, according to Jami Dobson-Schrumpf, president and chief executive officer of Dobson Healthcare.
“Home care in general is a nice balance for caregivers looking for a more one-on-one care setting since healthcare facilities and hospitals can be more tasking with higher client to caregiver ratios,” said Dobson-Schrumpf in a statement. “Many of our caregivers retain their current job, but supplement their hours by working with us.”
Dobson-Schrumpf started the company, which has regional offices in Bay City; Lansing and West Branch, in 1988 with only one client, a young boy who required a ventilator because of an auto accident. She says she is grateful the family gave her the opportunity to help their son.
“Luckily, his family took a chance on me,” she said. “The teenager was destined to spend his days in a nursing facility about three hours from his parents just because another agency wouldn’t care for him on a ventilator in the home. Now, 25 years later, I am thankful for the family who helped me realize my passion for keeping people home.”
Dobson says one of the most difficult aspects to expanding is being able to continually hire quality caregivers. She believes it takes a special individual to make a family comfortable inviting that person into their home.
“Home care isn’t something that is normally on any family’s list of purchases, and for the client themselves, they have to trust the person coming to their home,” she said. It is daunting, but knowing who the company is and what they stand for makes for a more comforting experience.”
Throughout the year, Dobson Healthcare will be hosting hiring fairs with local employment facilities throughout its coverage area including the Great Lakes Bay Region, Genesee County, Northern Michigan and Lansing. Exact dates for the hiring fairs have yet to be set, but those interested are encouraged to check the company’s Facebook page and website for announcements.
Source: Bay City Times
Written By: Alex Mitchell
Dear Friends,
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On this, our Twentieth Anniversary of Dobson Healthcare [2008] I am often asked how I came to start my business. Well…believe it or not twenty years ago, I was a nurse working full time in a Lansing hospital and also part time for a national home healthcare company. One of my home care clients at the time was a teenage quadriplegic, who over the course of time became ventilator dependent. When this happened, the company I was working for told me that they could not provide the high tech care required for a vent dependent client in their home. So he would have to be placed into a nursing home until a facility that
accepted vent patients was found.
*
As you can imagine he was devastated, as was I. I knew the unfortunate reality of this teenager’s tragic
condition meant that the little independence he had would be constricted even more. Nursing homes caring
for clients with such complicated needs were few and far between. So, even when the care manager found a
nursing facility; it may not have been near his home or suitable for someone his age.
*
Through research and meeting with many physicians, nurses, and insurance case managers; I presented a
home care plan that would enable him to stay in his own home. As I had hoped, the proposal was approved
on a trial basis. With the assistance of many wonderful healthcare providers I found myself responsible for
coordinating and overseeing home care for our first patient. Our efforts proved to be a tremendous success
and this is how Dobson Healthcare Services was born!
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We are fortunate! In today’s market, there are very few independently and locally owned home care agencies
remaining in business after twenty years. As the initial RN investor still actively involved, I am proud to say
our small East Lansing office (serving only Ingham County) has continually grown to the point that we
now have 3 Regional Offices caring for clients in more the 32 counties. Stretching from Lansing north to the
Mackinaw Bridge, our clients range from premature infants to 102 year old grandmothers.
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Encouraged To Grow Through Strong Support!
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There are few things you can do on your own! So, I want to “Thank You” for making staying at home
possible for so many people!
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➢ To Our Dedicated Dobson Healthcare Administration and Field Staff: Realizing your
individual strengths in caring for various needs has helped many of our patients transition easily into
accepting care without ever changing services or moving! With your diverse training and passion for
helping others we are raising the bar for in-home quality care standards. We are fortunate to have you and
hundreds of highly qualified professionals as a part of our Dobson team!
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➢ To Our Loyal Clients: We have learned and continue to learn from you. Your feedback has been
instrumental in the direction of our company as we have diversified our services to help others wishing to
stay home. You have influenced our hiring practices, services offered, training, and technology upgrades.
We are grateful for all your input and suggestions! Keep them coming!
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➢ To Our Strong Bond With Referral Sources: Thank you to our physicians, nurses, case managers,
and social workers for your commitment to ensuring our mutual clients experience quality care. You
are an essential asset to our Care Coordination Team. Thank you for the friendship and professional
contributions you have offered. As a team, we have accomplished so much over the past twenty years.
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The Next 20 Years: Motivated by Quality Care
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First of all, we don’t want to be “just another home care company”. We want
to be “The Home Healthcare Company”. With your support and our drive for
continuous improvement we are passing this milestone and reaching for the next
without hesitation.
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➢ We Are Committed to Our Clients & Their Healthcare Providers:
We have been proactive by tapping into the world of modern technology. Our goal
is to utilize mobile resources to provide better care and communication with our
clients, staff, and outside healthcare providers. We are researching and investing
in state-of-the-art computers, software, and communication systems designed to
improve day-to-day care and operations 24 hours a day/7 days a week.
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➢ We Are Committed To Our Staff: Our team is only as good as our weakest
link. Therefore, we are investing company profits into improving healthcare
coverage and continuing education opportunities for our staff; so they may
take on new and expanded leadership roles within our company. As a result,
we continue to build the foundation of a very dynamic home care team with a
combination of young, seasoned, educated, and ambitious professionals.
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I am Thankful and Proud of the fact that we are celebrating this milestone. At the
same time, I remain determined and committed to having Dobson Healthcare
Services provide another twenty years of quality home care to those in need.
In closing, I personally would like to thank each of you who have been part our
first 20 years in business and look forward to continuing our wonderful friendship.
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Sincerely,
Jami Dobson, President