Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Bertrand Cook
Hi Laura, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My story of healthcare and advocacy started when I was a little girl. My mother was a nurse and I would make house-call visits with her seeing patients. Watching her care for significantly ill patients with such skill and compassion left a deep impression on me. My experiences with my mother planted deep roots of advocacy, compassion, a curiosity of diseases, a courage to face complex medical situations and a deep compassion for those needing quality care at times when they needed it most. My career out of college started in the health and wellness industry then became more and more clinically complex working with a neuro-diagnostics organization then developing and leading a private nursing and caregiving services agency. The agency became a leading force in The Greater Houston Area. The “call” on my heart to provide a premium care experience stayed with me and again, I crafted from the ground up, another organization that is quickly becoming the leader in the private care space in Houston.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I would love to say it has been an easy road, but that wouldn’t be true! My journey has had its share of challenges. Building a business from scratch in any industry is hard work; but especially in healthcare where Texas is one of the most heavily regulated states in the union. There have been many challenges along the way! One challenge: competing priorities. When I started building a business in the private care space, my children were young and my parents were living with me – my mother was battling an acute disease and needed a lot of oversight and care. I was working full time and on-call around the clock, caring for my mother and raising kids, teaching at church etc. The level of busy-ness was very high. Balancing everyones needs while building a business, took tremendous discipline and yes, sacrifice. Priorities were always competing. I had to truly learn during certain seasons, to let some things go. Some things I couldn’t – I had to just shift gears and did constantly because everything was priority. It’s tough because as the leader, whether at home or work, the demands are tremendous. You must keep everyone calm during a challenge, be available, keep the vision of the business or goals as a family alive, keep everyone united, maintain a positive atmosphere, lead with strength AND love and don’t compromise even when there is pain. Another challenge: sometimes it’s better to not continue to try to make something work that’s not working. In particular when curating a high-performance team. I have honed the skill of discernment in identifying a loyal team member and building collaborative departments. I have learned that when someone is demonstrating who they are by their behaviour, believe them! It is a fine skill to balance leading with love and being compassionate with making difficult decisions sooner than later. But is a necessity for the sake of the team.
We’ve been impressed with Premiere Care Solutions, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Premiere Care Solutions is a client-centered, licensed and insured Home Health Agency providing private personal assistance, nursing care and care management services. Our services begin with a holistic assessment that is collaborative with all disciplines involved in an individuals’ care, after which a customized Care Plan is created and a care team is identified based on the needs of the client. We specialize in a high level of personalized services as well as medically complex care. Our nursing-led model sets us apart from other providers. I am intensely proud of the strong reputation we have of delivering high quality and highly clinical care with premiere service.
What I want the readers to know is that we are a strong entity with years of experience in providing personalized services at all skills levels. Whether a client needs companionship or highly complex nursing care, it can all be managed beautifully in the home. I love the fact that despite what level of care a client needs, we can manage all of it – the vast majority of private providers do not provide nursing services and complex care. This means that with disease progression, when a client’s needs become more complex, most families have to transfer to a skilled facility or find other resources for care rather than keeping their loved one at home with nursing services. Our clients can remain under our management and transition between the levels of care as needs change – all under one roof. Our clients have clinical support and access to nursing 24/7 which brings a tremendous amount of peace of mind which is incredibly valuable.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
I am so incredibly blessed that I had a glorious, golden childhood. I was born and raised in Louisiana – I am a southern girl through and through. Because I had such an amazing upbringing, it is very difficult to identify one specific “favorite” childhood memory as there are many! However, some of the most impactful memories of my childhood are those that set me on my trajectory of advocacy and service in my career. My mother was in McNeese State University’s first graduating nursing class. As mentioned previously, out of her compassion, she would frequently make home visits to individuals that needed help, giving injections, doing assessments, performing deep lung suctioning on our friend with Lou Gehrig’s disease and the list continues. None of this was for pay but out of her desire to help her fellow man. In her wisdom, mother often took me along on these house calls. Visit after visit, I observed in amazement. I was transfixed at the scene before me, my young mind taking it all in, the pallor of the patient, the machines, tubes, the steadiness and tenderness in mother’s hands, her skill very apparent.
These experiences deeply impacted me and ignited a desire to help others in a very tangible way. They created a strong foundation and standard for excellence, advocacy, compassion in service to others. This was the driving force behind creating a customized care solutions for families. Our deepest purpose is to provide the best in private care and positively impact the lives of those we serve.
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