LifeCare Alliance: Social Entrepreneur “Giant” in Central Ohio

CLEVELAND - July 16, 2015 - PRLog -- Columbus, OH – LifeCare Alliance is a not-for-profit organization that provides a comprehensive array of health and nutrition services to residents of central Ohio. LifeCare Alliance’s mission is to lead the community in identifying and delivering health and nutrition services to meet the community’s changing needs.  Founded in 1898 as the Instructive District Nursing Association (IDNA), LifeCare Alliance was Columbus’ first in-home health care agency and Ohio’s first Visiting Nurse Association.

Over the past several years, there has been an increased demand for services, and a decrease in traditional funding sources.  LifeCare Alliance has taken a proactive role to ensure our client’s needs are met.  Recent trends in not-for-profit agencies indicate that greater number of charitable organizations recognize the need to offset annual operating expenses through active social entrepreneur enterprises. Similarly, private and community funders alike understand the importance of not-for-profits “helping themselves in order to help others.” LifeCare Alliance is committed to a stream of compatible fee-based services, to increase agency revenues so more individuals can be helped.

Currently, LifeCare Alliance offers social entrepreneur enterprise programs that help serve our clients in need while offering services in the community. These services include:

L.A. Catering, offering full catering-service on and off site premises. All proceeds from L.A. Catering helped served an additional 500 clients last year.
Catch the Corporate Wellness Spirit Program, designed to meet the wellness needs of employers and employees at their work sites through health, nutrition, and education services.
Meals-for-Kids Program, delivering meals to after-school care sites for school age children and to daycare centers and charter schools.
IMPACT Safety Programs, a statewide fee for service program that provides tools to overcome violence.

Due to the social entrepreneur efforts, LifeCare Alliance has continued to service all those in need, especially in the basic needs food programs such as Meals-on-Wheels; and, is one of only a few major cities in the United States, which does not have a waiting list.

LifeCare Alliance stays on mission through social entrepreneurship. The vision of the founder, Catherine Nelson Black, to bring medical care and health education to the homes of the sick poor and immigrant populations – those with high infant mortality rates.  Mrs. Black noted that she wanted to establish an organization, which would “take care of the people who nobody else paid any attention to.”   LifeCare Alliance still take care of those individuals today.

About LifeCare Alliance
Formed in 1898, LifeCare Alliance is central Ohio’s first in-home health care agency, Ohio’s first agency to provide visiting nurses, and the nation’s second agency to deliver Meals-on-Wheels.  LifeCare Alliance is a not-for-profit organization that provides a comprehensive array of health and nutrition services to older adults and medically challenged or homebound residents of central Ohio.