The owners of Evangeline Home Health Agency, Inc., a 501c(3) freestanding home health agency based in Ville Platte, Louisiana, originally opened PDI in June 1987. Began as a for-profit corporation, our purpose was intended to fill a void in the services currently being offered to the senior population of south Louisiana – that of skilled nursing care provided on a shift basis. At that time our focus was providing intensive chronic and acute care to individuals with terminal illnesses. Our services also included those recovering from traumatic illness or injury. Today, our focus is on the elderly, adults and children with mental and/or physical disabilities. In 1993, PDI became a provider of Personal Care Attendant and Respite Services under the Mental Retardation/Developmentally Disabled Waiver. In 1994, we began serving individuals under what is now the Elderly/Disabled Adult Waiver Program. Although desperately needed by its recipients, this program is vastly under-funded. In spite of providing this service at a financial loss, PDI remains committed to the needs of these consumers, oftentimes providing services outside the scope of the Medicaid Waiver Program, to ensure our recipients receive the care they need.
In November 2001, PDI was awarded contracts for the National Family Caregiver Support Program in four south Louisiana parishes: Acadia, Evangeline, Lafayette and St. Landry. During the past year, PDI has successfully managed these programs and continually met targeted usage in each concentration relating to direct patient care.
Additionally, PDI currently holds a contract with the Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities to provide Personal Care Attendant and Respite services to individuals awaiting waiver services. Our agency is also one of the few agencies to provide EPSDT PCS Services to children under the age 21 in need of special services.
Over these last 16 years, PDI has evolved into an organization committed not only to the recipients of our services but also our employees and the communities, in which we work and live. This commitment is demonstrated by our agency involvement in such activities as the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, the Region V President’s Committee on Mental Retardation and the Region V Family Empowerment Forum. In addition, our employees participate in an agency wide volunteer program (See Appendix). Both supervisory personnel and direct support professionals are encouraged to give of themselves in various ways throughout our community.
