Interim HealthCare celebrates 42 years in the Upstate, expands to Columbia

Interim HealthCare has been taking care of Upstate residents wherever they call home since 1979. With a new CEO and a recent expansion into the Columbia market, the company continues to evolve with the shifting healthcare landscape while maintaining its mission of enriching human life through mind, body and spirit.

Interim CEO Charles McDonough believes the public health crisis of the past 18 months will strengthen the home-based care market, with Interim poised to provide even greater quality and value for personal and palliative care in the home.

“We look at the way that COVID has sort of been the black swan of healthcare over the course of the past 16 to 18 months, and how it’s transformed us as a community and transformed us as an industry,” said McDonough, who took the helm at Interim HealthCare of the Upstate in November 2020. “Where I really see the industry going and where Interim is prepared to go is becoming that all-inclusive provider, that comprehensive healthcare provider in the home.

“What healthcare has shown us is that we were unprepared to be able to take care of a mass event where a number of people got sick all at once. And what it showed us is that quality can be improved in the home, and the patient and the consumer preference is to be taken care of in the home.”

Interim HealthCare of the Upstate offers in-home health, hospice and personal care. A team of skilled nurses, therapists and social workers provide rehabilitative care that enable patients to recover at home following hospitalization. The company also provides compassionate end-of-life care through its hospice team and customizable personal care services such as transportation to and from medical appointments, light housekeeping, filling pill planners, bathing, dressing or light meal preparation.

“We really strive to be innovative with our care delivery and our programs while also meeting the patient and family where they are in their care journey,” said Magen Shelton, Interim Vice President of Strategic Development. “In our 42-year history, we have jump started lots of programs with a goal of being as cutting edge as possible. A lot of the awards you see here are from various programs over the years.”

On the home health side, for example, Interim introduced an innovative, comprehensive balance program that helps prevent patient falls. There also is a program that focuses on aging in place to help people stay in their homes longer.

Interim also has a state-of-the-art cardiac program whereby a telemonitor – essentially an iPad connected to Interim caregivers via Bluetooth – is placed in the home that can measure a patient’s weight and vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen saturation levels.

The company even employs several certified music therapists that build care plans around the utilization of music.

“People typically don’t relate music and clinical or music and healthcare, but we have found that they really create a beautiful partnership,” Shelton said.

Whatever the service, Interim delivers it with the health of the whole person in mind.

“The mind, body and spirit aspect of how we provide care is really based around when we enrich human lives, it isn’t just the clinical perception that we’re making you better. We want to make sure that we leave the whole person better than when you came into our service,” McDonough said.

“Again, as we talk about how the industry is shaping, taking care of someone after they have a joint replacement, or a heart valve replacement is one thing. We can heal wounds and we can make sure that bones mend. But we want to make sure that from a mental perspective, from a spiritual perspective and from a financial perspective, those individuals that we care for are taken care of not just from the medical ailments that they’ve been stricken with, but they are prepared for what lies ahead of them on their journey of healthcare improvement.”

With a 42-year record of success and more than 700 employees in the Upstate, Interim is implementing what McDonough calls a full-court press in the Columbia market, offering its full complement of services in the Midlands.

The company has made several new hires in the Columbia area, with many positions still posted including RNs, LPNs, CNAs, medical social workers, home health aides, and speech, physical and occupational therapists.

Those interested in careers with Interim HealthCare can call (800) 439-4590 or visit InterimCares.com.

Those with questions about home healthcare or the types of services they may qualify for can speak with their physician or go HERE to contact Interim HealthCare.