Creating A Culture Of Caring

Posted on: October 22, 2014

The foundation of a health care company is built upon the notion of providing the highest quality of care for patients and their family members. Often, companies are so focused on this objective that they tend to lose sight of an equally important factor – the caregivers. The best way to demonstrate the services your company delivers to patients is to offer the same level of support to those who care for the patients – your employees.

At CareOne and HealthBridge Management, we have made a commitment to care for our own. By developing an internal philanthropy structure, we work together to help our employees in their time of need. When Superstorm Sandy struck, we launched a Disaster Relief Fund to assist affected employees with basic necessities and uninsured losses, and when employees were diagnosed with cancer, we created the CareOne Cancer Fund In Honor Of Dan Grimes, Inc. to provide financial assistance to them and their families. We care for our employees and our employees care for each other. As a result, we have created a culture of caring, an atmosphere that distinguishes our care from other companies.

Our charitable efforts also extend to the communities we live and operate in. Our fundraising efforts after the Boston Marathon bombing resulted in the single largest contribution to the One Fund supporting bombing victims; the Valentine’s Ball we hosted last February raised $1.1 million in support of The Valerie Fund and the thousands of New Jersey children with cancer and blood disorders for whom it provides care; our employees rallied during the recent ALS #IceBucketChallenge phenomenon and raised $15,000 for the ALS Association. As a result, CareOne was recognized as a finalist for NJ Monthly Magazine’s Great Oak Awards, honoring the state’s most generous companies.

There are so many benefits to including philanthropy in the way we conduct business. We get better buy in from our employees because they feel good about what they are doing and they understand that their efforts have a positive impact on others. While the health care field is a profitable entity, it also bears many similarities to the recent Benefit Corporation or “B Corps” trend where for-profit businesses commit to supporting social causes. Neil Blumenthal, co-founder of popular optical company Warby Parker, explained the decision to become a B Corporation in a recent article in The New Yorker, “We wanted to build a business that could make profits. But we also wanted to build a business that did good in the world.” In the health care sector, we always have the ability to do good. Every day brings a new opportunity to do something to help others, whether it’s a patient, a family member, or a fellow co-worker.

The medium of philanthropy allows us to connect with our employees and the community. If someone gets sick or loses their house, we care and we do everything we can to help. Together, we have the power to use our network to benefit everyone by doing good things for others and accomplishing goals that have more than monetary value.