Sun+H+SE

=  = = = = = = Cooperative Home Care Associates =  [|Cooperative Home Care Associates Website]


 * Cooperative[[image:guidance.jpg width="144" height="144" align="left"]] Home Care Associates** (CHCA) is a for-profit and a worker-owned organization. It is founded in 1985 and located in South Bronx, New York. The cooperative employs more than 1.600 home care workers—mostly women—and provide them with: 1) an enhanced four-week home health aide training program for free; 2) a coaching style of supervision; and 3) support network which includes a peer mentoring program.

After those workers are trained, they are sent to the clients or patients who need home care. CHCA home care worker stay with clients and assist them with bathing, dressing, walking, running specific errands and many other services. They provide not only services, but also a companionship which makes clients to depend and trust them.

CHCA generates over 60 million dollars annually; according to CHCA, 80% of money that comes to CHCA goes directly to the workers. Furthermore, workers could buy a share of the company. This shows how CHCA is truly a worker-owned company.

Both patients and home care workers have benefited from Cooperative Home Care Associates (CHCA).
 * Wilfredo Graulau**, a retired computer instructor who uses a wheelchair since a gunshot wound, admitted that his life has been much better with the home care services.

Around 11 each morning, **Margarita Pillot**—worker from CHCA—arrives at his apartment and makes him coffee, prepares his lunch, checks his blood pressure and chats with him about city politics or the weather. Mr. Graulau said, ''by 10:30, 11 each day, I'm feeling depressed, thinking that I should be out somewhere, and that's when she starts talking to me, and I start feeling better."

Not only Mr. Graulau, but Ms. Pillot has benefited from CHCA. She said that other home care agency where she worked before did not provide training nor health insurance. But CHCA provides training program for free (whereas other home care agencies require money), health insurance, 401(k) retirement fund, and even higher wages. She mentioned that workers from CHCA are guaranteed to get paid minimum $6.40 to $8.00. Overall, Cooperative Home Care Associates is different from other home care agencies.




= **Video** =

media type="custom" key="4979247" width="220" height="220"



 5 quality, open-ended critical thinking questions that could be asked about the business 
 * 1) How is CHCA different from other home care agency?
 * 2) How does the company make a profit if most of the money comes into organization goes directly to workers?
 * 3) Is there much demand for home care services in the area (South Bronx, New York)?
 * 4) Do people invest in the company? If yes, who or what kind of company invested?
 * 5) Why is the headquarters located in South Bronx, New York?

<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">Bibliography
 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">//Cooperative Home Care Associates//. Web. 05 Dec. 2009. <http://www.chcany.org>.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">Greenhouse, Steven. "Health Aides Who Get Sick Days?; Ownership Is Good for Co-op Workers, but Union Complicates Mix." //The New York Times//. 14 Feb. 2004. Web. 5 Dec. 2009. <http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/14/nyregion/health-aides-who-get-sick-days-ownership-good-for-op-workers-but-union.html?scp=3&sq=cooperative%20home%20care%20associates&st=cse>.
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpXQKRuQE5c
 * 4) <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">http://www.geo.coop/files/insert.png
 * 5) <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">//National Clearinghouse on the Direct Care Workforce//. Web. 07 Dec. 2009. <http://www.directcareclearinghouse.org/practices/r_pp_det.jsp?res_id=48910>.
 * 6) <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">http://www.goodshepherdhc.com/pt%20and%20female%20patient%20w%20walker.jpg
 * 7) <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">http://www.omhhc.com/style/hands.jpg
 * 8) <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode','Lucida Grande',sans-serif;">http://www.affordable-home-care.com/images/ElderCare.jpg