Berry Weiss(CEO) is an ambitious entrepreneur who’s founded numerous companies and teams. Following several successful ventures in the healthcare space, Berry founded Preferred Home Care in 2007, and has stood at the helm of the company since. Over the years he has strived to bring quality care to seniors in New York State, and during thattime he has touched the lives of thousands.Berry’s vision and success has earned him a reputation as one of New York State’s mostrespected and valued providers of residential and home care services. His leadership continuesto motivate those around him.
When wasPreferred Home Care of New Yorkstarted? And how did you expand your company and its offerings over the years?
I founded Preferred Home Care back in 2007 with just 12 employees and the vision and promise to bring improved, collective health and well-being to our communities. We have since grown into one of the largest licensed home care agencies in the state, servicing over 7,000 patientsin 13 counties throughout New York.
Establishing strong relationships with other home care agencies, hospitals and facilities across the state has been a big key to our success. The trust that we’ve worked hard to build with hundreds of healthcare professionals (thanks to excellent customer service and care!) has helped fuelPreferred’s explosive growth.
Tell us about your future goals and where do you see Preferred Home Care in the next 5 years?
In addition to meeting the growing demand for services in our communities by continuing to provide the gold standard of care, I am always looking for ways to expand our range of services so that we may serve an even wider population. Since the beginning of 2021 we’ve augmented our list of services to include skilled/private duty nursing and ABA therapy, with so much more in store for the future!
How long have you been in business?
My journey actually started almost 20 years ago when I started working at a rehab facility in Brooklyn. Shortly thereafter, my wife Raizy and I spoke about getting involved in the health care industry. After working in the home care industry for a while, in 2007 we started Preferred Home Care of New York.
We opened our doors in 2007 with 12 support staff (many of whom are still with us) and a vision of how home care should be delivered to seniors in our state. A good part of our success can be attributed to hiring experienced professional employees who were able to help move the company along. Being able to take risks and to think outside of the box has enabled Preferred to stand apart. We provide health care paraprofessionals to approximately 800 students through a contract that we have with the NYC DOE. A few years ago, we established Preferred Gold to provide private pay concierge home care services in the counties that we are licensed.
What is the most important key to your success?
Preferred’s success has been built on our excellent customer service and our commitment to providing reliable, compassionate care to each and every one of our clients. I believe that quality healthcare is the product of quality teams. We not only seek out and hire the best, but we also strongly support and encourage professional development and provide outstanding advancement opportunities for each and every one of our employees. When you join Preferred, you’re truly joining a family. Nurturing these values has been a huge key to our success. “Teamwork makes the dream work!”
Are there specific services that your company specializes in?
At Preferred, our passion and dedication to helping our patients find highly skilled and compassionate aides who integrate seamlessly with their unique family dynamics and schedule has always been a key factor that makes us stand out from our peers. We believe finding that perfect fit is absolutely crucial to the quality of care. It’s all about making the right match!
What are the biggest challenges you face?
The pandemic has truly challenged us to adapt in unimaginable ways. I’ve been deeply inspired by the innovation and creativity of our incredible employees, which has allowed us to pivot and thrive in this year of immense challenges. We’ve refined and strengthened our internal support systems, ensuring our caregivers have been well-equipped to give every client outstanding service. Together we’ve made sure that our patients — the demographic most at-risk during this pandemic — can continue to live in the homes and communities they love — safe and happy. We’ve also been lucky to have had the resources to distribute countless PPE supplies, and even shared our time and resources to support local hospitals, facilities and workers on the front lines in the time they have needed it most.
I look back on this past year with a deep sense of gratitude for our ability hold steadfast to our commitment to caring for others – and I’m blown away at the innovation and collaborative spirit that have made it possible. The allegiance to our mission has never been clearer or stronger.
How big is your team?
Preferred Home Care employs approximately 6,000 field and administrative staff [with 8 languages spoken] across New York State – and growing!!
Awards and achievements, if any?
Our agency is fully accredited by JCAHO, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, and we were recently named one of 10 Most Trusted Home Care Providers for 2021.
What is your caregiver hiring process like?
Many of our aides are graduates of our very own training school, which is accredited by the New York State Department of Health, and from which we’ve proudly trained and certified 7,000+ home health aides to date.
In addition to meeting the growing demand for services in our communities by continuing to provide the gold standard of care, I am always looking for ways to expand our range of services so that we may serve an even wider population. Since the beginning of 2021 we’ve augmented our list of services to include skilled/private duty nursing and ABA therapy, with even more in store for the coming months… stay tuned!