Q. What is Home Care and who benefits from this type of service?
A. Home care includes a variety of services to those individuals who want to stay at home but need some level of ongoing care. Seniors, disabled, chronically or terminally ill persons including children can all benefit from home care services.
Q. How long has SafeHarbor Healthcare been in business?
A. SafeHarbor has been in business and serving the Staten Island community since 1967.
Q. Is SafeHarbor Healthcare Services licensed and accredited?
A. Yes, we are fully licensed by the New York State Department of Health and are proud to be one of the few homecare agencies on Staten Island accredited by the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
Q. What types of services does SafeHarbor provide?
A. We provide skilled nursing care by Registered Nurses and Licensed Practical Nurses as well as care by non-medical personnel. Our RNs and LPNs provide a wide range of medically necessary skilled nursing services. Our Certified Home Health Aides and Personal Care Workers, provide a wide range of services individually tailored to the patient’s needs. These services include assistance with activities of daily living such as grooming, bathing, and personal hygiene, meal preparation, medication reminders, and companionship. We also provide one-to-one assistance and care for patients in hospitals or nursing homes. Safe Harbor also offers Specialized homecare for Pediatric patients within the Staten Island community.
Q. What is the screening process for employees of SafeHarbor?
A. All individuals are thoroughly screened before becoming an employee of SafeHarbor and given a case assignment. This screening includes fingerprinting and background checks, license and certification verification proof of citizenship, previous employment verification, current annual physical, personal and professional references. All of our employees are fully bonded and insured.
Q. When can I speak with a SafeHarbor representative about home care?
A. At any time. A coordinator and nursing supervisor are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, day and night, to handle any of our clients’ needs. You can reach SafeHarbor at any time day or night by calling 718-979-6900. Please call us, we can help.
Q. Does SafeHarbor accept insurance payments?
A. Yes. We currently have clients who have home care coverage through GHI, Aetna, Genworth Long Term Care, Met Life, Workers’ Compensation, and No-Fault. Our Benefits Coordinator will work closely with you to determine the benefits for which you are entitled from your insurance company and we will accept Assignments of Benefits from the companies for payment.
Q. Does SafeHarbor provide an initial assessment to determine if the patient would be appropriate for home care and what those services might be?
A. Yes. A Nursing Supervisor schedules an appointment for an evaluation at the time of your service request. The Nursing Supervisor goes to the patient’s home to assess the patient’s needs and makes the appropriate recommendation for either nursing care, non-medical assistance, or respite/companion care. In addition, the Nursing Supervisor prepares a personalized plan of care to be followed by the home care provider.
Q. How does SafeHarbor handle billing of services?
A. Our invoices are mailed on a weekly basis. We accept personal checks, credit cards as well as Assignment of Benefits from private insurance companies.
Q. Does SafeHarbor have any programs in place to assure that quality care is provided?
A. Yes. SafeHarbor has a rigorous quality assurance program in place to ensure that our employees deliver the best care. As required by the New York State Department of Health, we have a quality assurance committee comprised of SafeHarbor employees, medical personnel, and community representatives that meet regularly to ensure complete compliance. Our employees partake in informational in-services on current health issues. In order to maintain high quality and complete client satisfaction, we are always available to answer any questions, allay any concerns and successfully resolve any complaints. At the time of the initial nursing assessment, our written complaint procedure is provided to all clients so that we can be informed of and address any issue that arises with regard our services.
Q. Does SafeHarbor offer a “Patients Bill of Rights?
A. Yes, we give clients a brochure describing the rights and responsibilities of the agency and the patient being cared for.
Q. Is home care only for the elderly?
A. No. Home care is for everyone, young or old, who needs nursing care or companionship and assistance with daily living activities. In our four decades of providing services on Staten Island, SafeHarbor has provided care to thousands of individuals of all ages and with diverse personal and family needs.
