How Enhabit Cares gives back to employees

Philanthropy – it’s a word that means promoting public welfare and quality of life. It’s also a main focus of the Enhabit Cares Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to making a difference in the lives of people across the nation.

Founded in 2008, Enhabit Cares has been providing financial assistance to employees and communities for over 15 years. The organization is funded through elected Enhabit Home Health & Hospice employee payroll deductions and one-time donations.

While Enhabit Cares offers support to people and communities in differing circumstances, employees with three or more months of employment at Enhabit – regardless of if they have donated to Enhabit Cares before – are eligible for the employee emergency relief fund. The goal of this fund is to offer financial assistance during times of great need such as a natural disaster or serious illness.

“Time and time again, I hear from Enhabit employees about how grateful and blessed they are to work for a company that is willing to help each other during hard and unforeseen circumstances,” Executive Director of Enhabit Cares Mike Verner said. “Our goal is to continue helping more employees and local communities, but we can only achieve that by spreading awareness about Enhabit Cares and the good it does.”

Read a few stories direct from our employees about how Enhabit Cares helped them in times of great need.

Enhabit Cares allowed time for much-needed recovery

When Enhabit acquired Jill’s small home health company in 2014, it made her hesitant.

“I remember being so nervous about a large, nationwide company and what that would mean for my small agency feel,” she said. “I decided to stay and hope for the best.”

Then a few months later, Jill faced an urgent medical emergency that required her to have major surgery. Her physician’s recommendation was to take eight weeks off of work for physical and mental recovery – four more weeks than Jill had saved up in paid time off.

Despite her physician’s recommendation, Jill knew she couldn’t take that much time off. She decided she could push through and be back at work in four weeks.

“My supervisor got wind of that being the reason I was returning 4 weeks post-op,” Jill said. “About a week later, I received an email that I had been nominated for a hardship grant to pay my living expenses for one month so that I could take the remaining 4 weeks off that I so desperately needed.”

And after working at Enhabit for the last decade, Jill is still feeling the effects of her supervisor’s kindness and Enhabit Cares’ generosity.

“Here we are 10 years later and I am in a leadership role and have been for four or five years,” she said. “Every time I hire someone who is hesitant about Enhabit, I am able to share my why – why I work here. I believe that we stand behind A Better Way to Care® for each other.”

High hospital bills and rising costs of living

Medical emergencies can strike at the most inconvenient times – at least that was the case for Tye. An unexpected trip to the emergency room left him with a bill of more than $17,000.

“I was extremely concerned about how I would come up with my part, as it is a struggle to make ends meet with the rising cost of everything over the last several years,” he said.

Being a self-described faithful contributor to Enhabit Cares over the last 16 years, he remembered the employee emergency relief program. And shortly after applying, he received confirmation that his grant was not only approved, but it would help him cover his entire out-of-pocket cost.

“I cannot express the gratitude that came with the caring and concern of this wonderful organization,” Tye said. “With this being said, I would not only like to thank everyone that contributes but urge anyone reading to consider joining this amazing organization that helps so many of Enhabit employees, their families and their communities.”

Helping with vehicle hardship

Although a common hardship people face are medical emergencies and the bills that follow, vehicle costs and repairs can massively affect someone’s life. Without a car to get you to work, it can be hard to earn money to pay bills. This was the case for Jessica.

After her primary vehicle broke down, she found herself lucky enough to have a backup vehicle to rely on – until that one broke down just a day later.

“I was stuck,” she said. “Literally. I had no way to get to work, to the grocery store or to get my kids to and from school. Facing two vehicles needing to be fixed and not enough funds to do so, I remembered Enhabit Cares – something I have been donating to for three years but never actually thought I would have to access it for myself.”

Within a few days of applying, Jessica received the good news that her application was accepted. She could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

“I was not only able to get my vehicle fixed but also restore my life to normal,” she said. “I cannot even express how grateful I am that I was able to receive the grant! There aren’t words to describe how appreciative I am and my family as well.”

Relieving ongoing financial stress of COVID-19 through Enhabit Cares

Although the COVID-19 pandemic took place in 2020, many families faced significant hardship that they still feel the effects of today. Terri and her family still felt financially unstable after the effects of COVID-19 when they faced an urgent need for surgery.

“Even with insurance, my spouse’s much-needed procedure would be costly,” she said. “We took to every avenue to raise the money, from making t-shirts to counting pennies and cutting out any pleasures we enjoyed.”

And even though Terri had been contributing to Enhabit Cares since she started working for Enhabit, she forgot about the help they can offer to their own.

“I reached out to Enhabit Cares and told them our story,” she said. “My spouse was able to have a successful surgery and thanks to this company, a stress-free recovery.”

Terri now encourages all employees to donate to Enhabit Cares, if possible, as the organization means a great deal to her.

“In donating to Enhabit Cares, you can feel the warmth of being able to help others as well as being able to receive that help whenever you find yourself on the side of a needing hand,” she said. “Give and ye shall receive.”