2009 Economic Impact Awards, Home Health Care Finalist: Oxford HealthCare

Janell Christensen didn't land at Oxford HealthCare by choice, but she chose to stay.

Though the registered nurse joined the company as the result of an acquisition, it wasn't long before she made up her mind to stay on board.

Nearly 10 years later, Christensen works for Oxford on an as-needed basis, despite a move that means an hour-and-a-half commute each way to and from work.

"When I met the people - and people in supervisory positions - they were so kind and personable. ... When you can work for people you like, it's easy to drive that extra mile," she says. "I like Oxford, because I like their integrity. They don't just want to do what's right for the patient, but they want to do right by their people, too."

That's a message Karen Thomas hopes people get about Oxford HealthCare, a wholly owned affiliate of CoxHealth that provides a variety of home-based health services.

"What we try to do - whether it's a payable service to us or not - is to link people to the right organization or the right person," said Thomas, Oxford HealthCare president and a 13-year employee.

Oxford HealthCare, established locally in 1974, offers services that range from supportive care, which can mean helping people get ready or with meals, to sophisticated in-home medical care.

Short-term care includes assisting patients with rehabilitation at home from joint replacement or a stroke, while long-term care targets chronically ill patients.

Oxford also cares for special-needs children.

"By taking care of those children, we enable Mom and Dad to get out of the house and work ... and we enable the family to live (with) some normalcy," Thomas says.

As of July 1, Oxford extended its home health-care services via the acquisition of Sinclair Home Care in Columbia through an agreement with University of Missouri Health Care. Technology also has made it easier for home-health companies such as Oxford to respond to patient needs and expand their reach.

Telemedicine - or telemonitoring - remotely monitors patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes. Health measurements, such as vital signs and glucose levels, are taken at home and evaluated at Oxford by nurses who communicate with patients if something is amiss.

Oxford's telemonitoring is in 105 Missouri counties and part of eastern Kansas, Thomas says.

Community outreach includes free health education, such as a class on macular degeneration at a library branch, senior center or assisted-living facility, and Thomas co-hosts a regional weekly radio show, "Boomer News & Views," on KWTO 560 AM, that provides baby boomers with information about a wide variety of topics through guest professionals.

The radio show targets members of the sandwich generation, who are taking care of younger and older family members simultaneously.

"We go to great lengths to let people know we are trying to be their resource for all their home health-care needs," Thomas says.

Oxford's community reach includes partnerships with area nonprofits; tuition reimbursements for employees that support local schools; in-service workshops that draw professionals and their money to Springfield; and a Community Care Fund to which Oxford employees donate funds for things patients can't afford, such as a ramp or grab bars.

"We've done that for years," Thomas says. "We buy a lot of stuff."