By Jessica Dillon
Melissa Ramey-Harris celebrated the opening of Heartfelt Homecare with a ribbon-cutting April 7 alongside the Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce.
Heartfelt Homecare is a home care agency focused on helping seniors remain in their homes while receiving care.
Ramey-Harris said she felt a mix of emotions as she marked the milestone.
“At first, it was a plethora of feelings, like being overwhelmed, excited, nervous. It’s the whole plethora of feelings. But after seeing the Facebook post, it just felt like it was incredible. It was really incredible,” she said.
Ramey-Harris has worked in health care for more than 30 years, including the past four years in travel nursing.
“For the last four years I have done travel nursing. And as I was telling them the other day, I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly,” she said.
She said one of the most important aspects of her work is helping families care for loved ones at home.
“I’ve always encouraged people to keep their loved ones at home because they get better care as opposed to being in the facilities,” she said.
Ramey-Harris said there is a strong need for in-home care services and a shortage of workers in the field.
“I’ve been working on this business for three years. I went to get my state license, which was a whole process, so we got licensed in October,” she said.
The business is working to build its client base and is open to families seeking in-home care.
“When you stay at home, you’re in that familiar environment, you know you’re going to have somebody that you’re comfortable with, and you’re going to receive the care that you need, if it’s coming from my company,” she said.
The company has three employees and offers services around the clock, including nights and weekends.
“We work 24/7,” she said.
Heartfelt Homecare currently accepts private pay only but plans to work with insurance providers in the future.
“I’m going to partner with somebody with insurance, be able to make choices, but right now we’re just taking private pay,” she said.
The rate is $35 per hour.
Heartfelt Homecare is located at 914 Brookdale St., Suite 5, Martinsville. Office hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. To book services, call 336-830-3706 or email melissa@heartfelthomecare.services.
