Our state legislature should move past partisan divides and come together to make things easier for these families, but unfortunately that hasn’t happened.
Austin, Texas (PRWEB) May 19, 2017
This year, David and Laura Quintanilla launched Vivicare Health Partners in Austin. Vivicare provides pediatric private duty nursing for medically fragile children.
When a newborn child has an ongoing medical condition — common issues can involve a ventilator, tracheostomy or gastrostomy care — it’s not usually in the best interests of the child or the family for the child to stay at the hospital indefinitely. In these instances, home nursing is crucial. Highly-skilled, experienced nurses can take care of the child, and help create a more stable presence in the home.
“We are here to be an extension of your ‘care family’ and take great pride in partnering with you to find nurses that are a match for each family,” David Quintanilla said. “This community-based health care allows for kids to be at home instead of the hospital or an institution. It also allows for moms and dads to work or have time to be with their other children.”
In addition to home nursing services, David and Laura hope to use their proximity to the state capitol building as an opportunity to be advocates for medically fragile children and policies that benefit them and their families.
“Families with medically fragile kids face so many challenges on a daily basis,” David said. “Our state legislature should move past partisan divides and come together to make things easier for these families, but unfortunately that hasn’t happened. We need to make sure the men and women representing these families understand the impact their votes have. We have to keep fighting the good fight.”
David Quintanilla has experience with public policy and the law. David holds a Masters in philosophy and public policy from the London School of Economics, a law degree from St. Mary's University, and a government degree from the University of Texas. David is founder and co-owner of Cavanaugh Quintanilla, PLLC, a local law firm. He also teaches business law & ethics at the UT McCombs School of Business.
Laura Quintanilla has a background in business management, with experience in accounting and human resources, though the experience she draws upon the most in this venture is that of a mom of three young children. “Too often business is only focused on the bottom line, but the personal side of what we do is the driving force here. It is such an honor and responsibility to be trusted to provide care for these kiddos and families, and the only way this works for us is to have absolute confidence in the nurses we hire. We will never send a nurse to a home that we wouldn’t trust to care for our own children, and that perspective is the bottom line for us.”
Heidi Miller is the clinical director, managing the authorization process and verifying the clinical skills of every nurse at Vivicare. She holds a BSN from the University of Texas School of Nursing, as well as a MSN from the University of Texas Medical Branch. She was a nurse at Dell Children’s for 10 years, primarily on the respiratory unit. For some of that time, she served as program coordinator for the cystic fibrosis clinic. She also worked as a pediatric nurse practitioner at Dell for 5 years.
Noteworthy facts about Vivicare Health Partners:
- Vivicare Health Partners started in 2009 in North Texas. It is a privately owned company expressly run by moms and dads instead of corporate managers. The focus is on quality care, not quarterly profits.
- All nurses must pass rigorous screening and background checks. They must have at least 1 year of experience working with special needs children.
- Each nurse is carefully matched to the family — and must complete a skills checklist unique to the child.
- Vivicare created its own software, a first of its kind in the industry, which streamlines communication and ensures better care.