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For more
past HME Excellence Awards winners, click
here
2003
Best Home Respiratory Provider
Associated’s
motto: ‘Give something back’
By John Andrews, contributing
editor
Associated reoriented its efforts around its ‘first love’ — home
respiratory supply — and found a better way to be more useful to physicians
and patients.
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WEST AMHERST, NY – The old adage “Give and ye shall receive” certainly
pertains to Associated Healthcare, the HME Excellence Award winner in the Respiratory
category. The company’s strong track record for community involvement earned
it the top spot from judges this year and runner-up status in 2002.
Associated President Don White is a firm believer in volunteerism – locally
and within the industry.
“It’s essential to give something back to those you make your living
from,” White said. “To me, it’s an attitude you have to have.”
As a respiratory provider, Associated is heavily involved with the American Lung
Association as well as various state and national home care trade associations.
In the Buffalo area, White belongs to the Rotary Club and staff members are also
active in civic organizations.
White is also serving as an advocate for respiratory clinicians. Specifically,
he helped a local sleep physicians’ group secure a $125,000 federal grant
earmarked for educating general physicians on how to recognize sleep apnea. To
get the ball rolling, White contacted now-retired Rep. John LaFaulce (D) of Tonawanda,
NY.
“We work very closely with sleep physicians in our marketplace, so I made
contacts in Washington to set up the grant,” White said. “Congressman
LaFaulce was one of the most progressive advocates for patients with sleep disordered
breathing, so I matched him up with the money and the money with the sleep physicians.
It worked out really well.”
On the business front, Associated has maintained financial stability during a
major market transition away from rehab to concentrate on respiratory.
“We had a strong reliance on pediatric seating and power mobility – it
was a big part of our business for several years before we sold it,” White
said. “We did some soul searching about what we wanted to be. Our first
love is respiratory – that’s what we did when we started in 1983.
By focusing on this market, we can be more useful to the physicians and patients
we serve.”
As an organization, Associated’s success is the direct result of dedicated,
productive employees, White said, noting that a great staff must never be taken
for granted.
“This award is recognition of the hard work and sacrifices our employees
have made,” he said. “It’s about what they’ve done, not
what I’ve done. They truly believe they can make a difference for our clients
and as a result, we’ve gained their trust.”
Associated Healthcare Systems
Headquarters:
West Amherst, N.Y.
Age: 20-year-old company
Employees: 159
Accreditation: JCAHO
Memberships: NYMEP and AAHomecare
Business Mix: 50% Medicare, 30% private pay, 15% VA, 5% Medicaid
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