Business Buzz

Always Best Care opens training center

Always Best Care Senior Services, an area provider of in-home care, recently announced the opening of a new training facility. The new facility, located at 1520 North Hearne Avenue, Suite 110 in Shreveport, is state-of-the-art facility offering hands-on, computer-based and classroom training for new employees, current staff and patient’s family members. This is the second location for Always Best Care in Shreveport and will be utilized for training and applicant processing.

Always Best Care has operated in Shreveport since 2011 and has been under the ownership of Keith Carter since 2014. Local ownership provides the opportunity to customize services specifically for the needs meet of Ark-La-Tex residents.

Always Best Care works with case managers, social workers, discharge planners, doctors, and families to provide affordable, comprehensive solutions that can be specifically matched to meet a client’s particular physical or social needs. The hallmark services of the Always Best Care include in-home care, assisted living placement services, CNA Staffing and ABC Mom Care for new mothers.

La.-based health system to purchase facilities

Allegiance Health Management has signed a definitive agreement to acquire three hospitals in Louisiana from subsidiaries of Tennessee-based LifePoint Health. They are Mercy Regional Medical Center in Ville Platte, Acadian Medical Center (a campus of Mercy Regional) in Eunice, and Minden Medical Center in Minden.

The transaction is expected to be finalized in the coming months, subject to required regulatory reviews and other customary closing conditions.

Shreveport-based AHM is a system of 13 hospitals in Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Arkansas. Its facilities offer a range of inpatient and outpatient services as well as post-acute care and behavioral health services.

As part of the agreement, employees will retain their jobs, subject to standard pre-employment screenings. AHM also plans to maintain all services the hospitals currently offer. Additional terms of the transaction will not be disclosed.

The acquisitions will be seamless for patients. All providers and contact information for the hospitals will remain the same.

Bootcamp spurs business startups

The second class of military veterans in the Louisiana Veteran Entrepreneurship Program recently completed the program’s “boot camp,” with recruiting now underway for a third round of LVEP participants who’ll learn how to launch a business. The program enables service members leaving the military to gain intensive training online and through the boot camp, followed by long-term counseling from small business resource partners.

Louisiana Economic Development launched the program through a partnership with the Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs, the Louisiana National Guard, the Louisiana Business & Technology Center and LSU Executive Education. LVEP seeks to have at least 30 percent of the participants launch a business and collectively raise at least $5 million in startup capital. A long-term goal for the program is to create 100 new jobs through new veteran-operated businesses.

Applications are being accepted now for the next program session, which will be held in North Louisiana or Central Louisiana. Veterans who would like to participate may learn more at OpportunityLouisiana.com/LVEP. Those from the Barksdale Air Force Base region of Shreveport-Bossier City and the Fort Polk region near Leesville are encouraged to apply for the upcoming session.

LVEP coursework — developed and delivered through the Louisiana Business & Technology Center and LSU Executive Education — outlines critical steps to start, operate, fund and launch a business, while giving veterans the tools needed to develop their business ideas. LED is providing initial funding for the program.

Disaster loans available to small businesses

Small nonfarm businesses in the following parishes and counties are now eligible to apply for low interest federal disaster loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration. These loans offset economic losses because of reduced revenues caused by inclement weather that occurred in the following primary parishes, according to Director Tanya N. Garfield of SBA’s Disaster Field Operations Center-West.

It includes these parishes: Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Catahoula, Claiborne, De Soto, East Carroll, Franklin, Grant, Jackson, La Salle, Lincoln, Madison, Morehouse, Natchitoches, Ouachita, Red River, Richland, Sabine, Tensas, Union, Webster, West Carroll and Winn parishes.

Incident Type: Drought; Incident Date: Beginning Dec. 1, 2017; Deadline: Nov. 8, 2018.

Small nonfarm businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private nonprofit organizations of any size may qualify for Economic Injury Disaster Loans of up to $2 million to help meet financial obligations and operating expenses which could have been met had the disasters not occurred.

Businesses primarily engaged in farming or ranching are not eligible for SBA disaster assistance. Agricultural enterprises should contact the Farm Services Agency about the U.S. Department of Agriculture assistance made available by the Secretary’s declaration. However, in drought disasters, nurseries are eligible for SBA disaster assistance.

Applicants may apply online, receive additional disaster assistance information and download applications at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance.

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