CORE Health Care - A BRIEF HISTORY
One of the two families who founded CORE Health Care in 1983, traces their roots of service to people with special needs back to the 1930's. It was then that Mr. and Mrs. Bert P. Brown opened the doors of their own home and began caring for children with disabilities. Bert's son, Kenneth M. Brown, used to say, "Dad's intention was to treat everyone normally, and since we shared our home, clothes, and food with all of the kids that needed help, and since he and mom never turned anyone away, it was always like one, constantly growing family."
 From this simple philosophy, The Brown's original company grew rapidly and was eventually bought out in the 1980's by a large, multi-state corporate healthcare system. After the change of ownership, it was clear to some of the families closest to the Brown's that things had changed: the quality of care was declining with costs on the rise due to the large corporate overhead of the new ownership.
So in 1983, a new company was formed. Kenneth Brown founded the company known today as CORE Health Care (formerly Brown-Karhan Healthcare) with James R. Karhan. Since that time, and through many changes, we have cared for and nurtured the core of our residents-laying a solid foundation for not only quality treatment but quality of life.
Recognizing early the positive effects both clinically and financially of specialized care, CORE opened its first facility. That facility, Cedar Point, was designed to allow for smaller, more tailored programs. Located in the rolling Texas Hill Country in Dripping Springs, Cedar Point was designed for long-term care and began with five residents-Robert, Mary, Bob, Libby and Marshal. These residents were the first to benefit from the unique spirit of caring, nurturing and compassion at CORE, but just as importantly, their families were gratified knowing their loved ones were not only well cared for but were blossoming, happy and developing lifelong friendships.
Then in 1984, under the leadership of owner James Karhan and the renowned neuropsychologist, Dr. Erin Bigler, the company opened the Oak Point program for individuals with brain injuries. Rehabilitation for people with brain injuries was a relatively new field at the time. The need for such services grew as more motor vehicle accident victims survived their wounds due to transport to neurotrauma centers via a newer, faster method: helicopter.
With the addition of staff members Eric Makowski and Dr. Jim Misko in the early 1990s, the company we know today began to take shape. At this same time, the demand grew for the brain injury rehabilitation services at Oak Point, after the program was amended by Dr. Misko to include cognitive rehabilitation, a key element in successful inpatient rehab programs.
 To serve a growing waiting list of residents, Karhan, Makowski and Dr. Misko opened the Hilltop program in 2001. This program was the first short-term facility for the company. Hilltop's residents stay from three to 12 months with a focus strictly on post-acute rehabilitation.
In 2005, ownership of CORE Health Care was transferred entirely to Eric Makowski, president, and Dr. Jim Misko, vice president. A true partnership, their complementary skills and experiences create a unique synergy for the company, committed to the early vision but poised to further grow the company into the next generation. CORE Foundation was launched in 2006 by Makowski and Misko. The mission of this new non-profit is to advocate for people with disabilities in novel ways to hasten the removal of cultural and institutional biases in our society.
In 2008, CORE Health Care celebrates their 25th year of safely and successfully rehabilitating and caring for individuals with special needs. Throughout the year we have experienced successes of having record low staff turnover, developed the CORE Family Trainer as a resource to families www.corefamilytrainer.com; initiated an Electronic Health Record (eHR) system to improve the quality of care for our residents and the workflow of our employees; and by the end of the year, our original Brown long-term campuses will be remodeled to offer private rooms providing increased independence and autonomy for our residents.
Today, CORE Health Care continues to serve individuals with the dignity, respect and care they deserve. The company operates four facilities in Austin and Dripping Springs with a total of 58 beds and more than 125 employees. CORE maintains its personal approach to healthcare while continuing to research and train in the latest and best therapeutic methods available. We are determined to leave a lasting legacy of service for individuals with traumatic brain injuries and long-term psychiatric disorders. |
