Derrick Gibbs once considered becoming a nurse, but he ended up running Change Inc., which sends healthcare providers to people’s homes.
Get Instant Access to This Article
Subscribe to Hartford Business Journal and get immediate access to all of our subscriber-only content and much more.
- Critical Hartford and Connecticut business news updated daily.
- Immediate access to all subscriber-only content on our website.
- Bi-weekly print or digital editions of our award-winning publication.
- Special bonus issues like the Hartford Book of Lists.
- Exclusive ticket prize draws for our in-person events.
Click here to purchase a paywall bypass link for this article.
Derrick Gibbs once considered becoming a nurse, but he ended up running Change Inc., which sends healthcare providers to people's homes.
The Middletown-based service caters to people with diagnosed mental illnesses, brain injuries, developmental needs and the elderly. He also runs Middletown-based Nurses at Home.
Change Inc. is growing and has made some large acquisitions recently. Last month, the company bought Maple Leaf Manor, a Hartford residential care home for adults. In August, Change Inc. acquired Bozrah-based QC Homecare Solutions' homecare division.
A former volunteer firefighter, Gibbs said Change Inc. will continue to serve the needs of vulnerable people while it expands its footprint.
Change Inc. provides non-medical home care. Can you please explain what that entails?
Non-medical home care is more along the lines of homemaking, companionship, teaching and assisting with activities of daily living, prompting and cueing medication, assistance with personal-care responsibilities, etc.
What are the biggest challenges you and your staff face in providing care for your clients?
I think the biggest challenges are two-fold. One is serving individuals in rural communities where there might be a lack of resources. The second is not being able to service individuals who we know are in desperate need of services but can't receive care because they are on long state waiting lists.
In terms of need for services and the quality of care available, how does Connecticut compare to other states in terms of at-home care and outpatient behavioral-health services?
Connecticut is doing very well keeping up with the need and quality of care for individuals. The state's focus is to de-institutionalize care and empower individuals with severe mental illnesses to live independently.
The goal is to re-acclimate individuals to the community through achieving milestone goals and objectives.
What issues do Change Inc.'s clients deal with on a regular basis that should receive more attention at a state policy level?
There seems to be an issue with a lack of affordable housing. There are limitations with the towns and areas in which individuals can reside. For example, there is a lack of affordable housing in Glastonbury and other towns.
How has your relationship with the Greater Hartford business community been over the years?
Excellent. We started Change Inc. in Hartford and we recently purchased Maple Leaf Manor, a facility that's been a staple of Hartford for the past 25 years.