About Us
The Beginning of Cornerstone Home Care
Cornerstone Home Health Inc. was started by Rich and Corrine Rago in 1997. As a registered nurse, Corrine saw an unmet need for skilled nursing and in-home nursing services in Juneau, AK. Cornerstone Home Health provided acute nursing services for many years and in 1999 began to provide personal care, care coordination, respite, and chore services as well.
Cornerstone was approached by Haines community members in 1999. The community had a need for longer-term care and acute nursing, so we expanded our services into Haines.
Within this period in Juneau and Haines, many of our clients were transitioned into our Independent Living Services (ILS) – the longer term home services in personal care, care coordination, respite, chore, and other services. A few hours of care per week often meant the difference between clients remaining in their homes or being institutionalized.
The state of Alaska expanded its Personal Care program to include Consumer Directed Personal Care Assistance (CDPCA) services in 2002. Helping to provide similar assistance with activities of daily living as the agency-based PCA, this program gave the consumer the liberty to choose who they would like to have their care provided by. Many times this is a friend or family member; the program is excellent for clients who are more reserved for receiving assistance. This is also a great way for caretakers to receive compensation for their assistance.
Beginning in 2002, we started expanding our Medicaid Waiver, CDPCA and ILS services in Petersburg, and on Prince of Wales Island. We have also received various grants over the years to provide services for consumers in Southeast Alaska communities such as Kake, Metlakatla, and Klukwan. In 2013 Cornerstone expanded into Ketchikan and most recently into Angoon in 2018.
Over the years our agency has grown into an exceptional home care service provider. Needs of the consumer have vastly changed over the years, resulting in individuals being independent at home with requests for personal care, respite, chore, and other home and community-based services. These requests gradually led to the dissolution of our nursing program.
In 2012, Cornerstone underwent a name change to be called Cornerstone Home Care. While our history as a skilled agency has given us the background to be an excellent provider agency, we are no longer a skilled nursing provider.
As of the summer of 2012, we have provided assistance to over 130 clients and retain over 70 employees. All consumer care is managed out of our main office in Juneau; with Community Coordinators at each of Cornerstone’s locations in SE Alaska. We take pride in allowing our clients to remain safely independent in their homes and communities surrounded by their families, friends, and loved ones.