Dominican Home Health Agency: The Safety Net

For nearly a century, the Dominican Home Health Agency has been a safety net for poor, sick, elderly and disabled patients in the metro area, providing in-home nursing care, medical equipment, food or just a friendly visits – all at no cost to patients. Most of the agency’s patients are homebound and have little or no family support.

“Without our services, our patients would be forgotten, continually hospitalized, unnecessarily in a nursing home or dying of neglect at home alone,” said Gigi Stewart, director of development for the nonprofit. “Our goal is to help our patients remain in their homes in a way that is healthy and as independent as possible for as long as possible.”

The agency was founded in 1923 by four Dominican Sisters, all nurses, who came to Denver to dedicate their lives to caring for the city’s poor and sick. Today, the agency offers no-cost comprehensive care to patients that includes skilled nursing care, personal care, food delivery, case management, customized exercise programs, medical equipment loans, wellness education and social or pastoral support. The agency’s interventions result in increased medication compliance and a reduction in falls, a significant risk for elderly patients.

The Dominican Home Health Agency established an endowment in 2012 during a Community First Foundation endowment-building incentive challenge. “When I let donors know about the matching grant program, the response is unbelievable,” said Stewart. “Everybody likes a match. They can see their money go further and that’s motivating for donors.