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How to Start a Veteran Personal Care Home in Georgia
Georgia’s veteran population is growing each year and bringing with its growth new and mounting health issues. As our veterans age and develop health issues, or return from combat with injuries, the medical community in Georgia has found the need to grow and improve more vital than ever before. One honorable and useful way to throw your hat into the ring and help your state and your nation’s veterans is to start a veteran personal care home in Georgia.
Order an application package from the Office of Regulatory Services Personal Care Home Program. The address and phone number for the office is: ORS Personal Care Home Program 31st Floor 2 Peachtree St. Atlanta, GA 30303-3167.
The main phone number is 404-657-4076. Complete the application as thoroughly as possible and submit it to the ORS Personal Care Home Program office.
Obtain a business license from your county licensing office and a “Certificate of Need” from the Department of Community Health, Division of Health Planning if you will house more than 24 residents.
Locate the building where the residents will be housed and complete the requirements to operate in the area. Some locations have zoning requirements, therefore it is best to determine whether you are able to operate in a residential area or a business area.
Determine the safety requirements that your personal care home will require. Be sure to think about things like handrails, grab bars, non-skid surfaces and the set water temperature for the home, which should not exceed 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
Screen any staff that you will hire for drug use and criminal history. They will need to have basic training in first aid techniques, CPR, resident rights, 16 hours of continuing education yearly and have a physical exam and TB screening.
Tip
Be prepared going into this endeavor. A personal care home can be a single home, building or group of buildings where personal care is provided to two or more non-family adults. The services you will be expected to provide include assistance with bathing, daily grooming, dressing, supervision of medications--the basic and essential activities of daily living.
Residents of the home needing medical or nursing care as a daily service of the home must arrange for these services through other sources. However, the home must provide 24-hour supervision of residents and be able to intervene in an emergency situation.
Warning
Zoning, fire safety, heating and electrical standards must be met. If the home is using a septic tank and not public water and sewer, the tank system will need to be approved by the public health department.
Writer
Khalidah Tunkara is an accomplished freelance writer and journalist based in Atlanta, Ga. Tunkara began her writing career in 1994 and attended Georgia Perimeter College. Her articles have appeared in "The New Trend," "Atlanta Journal-Constitution," eHow.com and Trails Travel. Tunkara is the featured Headline News writer for the Examiner.