Nursing agency ends affiliation, changes name

Business Today

SIKESTON -- The area's oldest privately-owned private-duty nursing agency has changed its name to reflect its expanded services. Allen Home Care Services Inc. of Sikeston has reverted back to its corporate name after ending its affiliation with Tender Loving Care/Staff Builders, the company's administrator announced today.

"Our name change will not, in any way, change the outstanding quality of professional service we have been providing since 1985," said Roberta Lucy, RN, BSN. "Patients receiving nursing service in their homes will continue to receive that service."

Established in 1985 by Donna Allen, Allen's Private Duty Nursing was Southeast Missouri's first private-duty nursing agency. Private-duty nursing is where a professional nurse cares for the patient in their home for an extended period of time. Sometimes, the nursing care can be up to 24 hours per day.

It is somewhat different from home health nursing in that private-duty nursing is continuous care while home health nursing is specific to a particular task.

Lucy joined Allen in 1996 to coordinate the agency expansion into home health nursing. She had been the clinical director of the Visiting Nurses Association of Southeast Missouri prior to joining Allen's Private Duty Nursing.

The firm also entered into a franchise agreement with Staff Builders, a national home-health agency, which later changed its name to Tender Loving Care. Lucy and Dr. Terri Woods purchased the business from Donna Allen in 1997.

Lucy and Woods changed the local corporate name to Allen Home Care Services because of the reputation the firm had earned over its level of professional care. However, the agency operated under the franchise name of Tender Loving Care/Staff Builders.

"We want to return to our corporate name of Allen Home Care Services since we have ended our franchise agreement with Tender Loving Care/Staff Builders," Lucy said. "In order to further expand into patient advocacy, industrial nursing and wellness program coordination for employers, we needed to end our business relationship with Tender Loving Care/Staff Builders."

The franchise agreement ended Nov. 30.