E79: Matchmaking for Healthcare: How Compassionate Care Unlimited Connects the Right Nurses to the Right Facilities

What makes Melissa Six with Compassionate Care Unlimited a good neighbor? 

The nursing shortage crisis affects virtually every healthcare setting, but Melissa Six of Compassionate Care Unlimited offers a refreshingly human-centered solution. Rather than treating nurses as interchangeable parts, her organization functions as a specialized matchmaker, connecting facilities with nurses whose specific skills, temperaments, and preferences align perfectly with each environment's unique needs.

"Each nurse has a unique gift," Melissa explains, drawing from her own background as a healthcare professional. She compares the matching process to assembling puzzle pieces that fit together precisely, rather than forcing connections that weren't meant to be. This thoughtful approach challenges the widespread industry misconception that simply holding a nursing license qualifies someone for any nursing position. As she aptly points out, that would be like assuming a regular driver's license qualifies someone to operate an 18-wheeler.

The conversation reveals the harsh realities facing today's nurses, who often work without breaks, proper meals, or even bathroom opportunities during their shifts. Beyond the professional demands, nurses rarely escape their caregiving role even in personal settings—family gatherings frequently turn into impromptu medical consultations. Melissa's organization stands out by recognizing these pressures and prioritizing relationships over transactions. She believes that properly supporting nurses creates a positive ripple effect: "When you take care of the nurse, then the nurse is going to go out there and give beautiful care."

Looking for a way to support healthcare in your community? Melissa suggests starting with simple appreciation. A quick call or message thanking the nurses in your life acknowledges their challenging work and reminds us all that local healthcare facilities—from hospitals to school nursing offices—form an essential foundation of community wellbeing. Ready to learn more about this innovative approach to the nursing shortage? Visit CompassionateCarePA.com and discover how the right matches create better outcomes for everyone involved.

To learn more about Compassionate Care Unlimited go to: 

https://compassionatecarepa.us/

Compassionate Care Unlimited

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Lila Carter.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Are you in need of a viablesolution to the nursing shortage
?
One might be closer than youthink.
Today I have the pleasure ofintroducing your good neighbor,
melissa Six, with CompassionateCare Unlimited Melissa how's it
going?
It's going well, Lila.

(00:33):
Thank you for having me.
Thanks for being here.
We're excited to learn allabout you and your business.
Please tell us more about yourorganization.
Please tell us more about yourorganization.

Speaker 3 (00:43):
Our organization works with facilities long-term
care facilities, hospitals,schools basically any entity
that you can think of that wouldneed a nurse.
We can supply nurses to them,and our nurses are a unique
group.
They are nurses that are highlyseasoned.

(01:06):
They're independent in theircareers, so we like to empower
and equip them to fit into theright environments, which makes
us much different than the otherentities or supplemental
suppliers that are in themarketplace today.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
Excellent.
How did you get into thisbusiness, Melissa?

Speaker 3 (01:25):
I'm glad you asked.
I am a nurse by trade and atheart, and I think that you know
that will probably always bebecause I'm very passionate
about the field and theprofession in general.
It was by accident that I endedup in this marketplace, solving

(01:47):
this problem.
To make a long story short, Ihad, very early in my career,
really never had a buy-in to whywe would ever need supplemental
staff.
I thought this is crazy.
Every place should just findnurses that they like to work
with and you know that thatwould be the way to go about it

(02:08):
and that that would be how youacquire the best nurses.
However, you know, healthcareis complex and healthcare is,
you know, always changing and soare the needs of the healthcare
workers.
So I find that the best way toget, you know, highly skilled,

(02:30):
qualified, wonderful care is tohave an organization like ours
who can be the middleman and whocan work out what each party
wants and what each party needsto thrive and to be able to
provide the best care.

Speaker 2 (02:46):
Yeah, you're like a matchmaker for these angels that
people really need in thesetimes, so thank you for the work
that you're doing here.
So what are some myths, ormaybe misconceptions, in your
industry?
Any specific ones you'd like totalk about today?
Any?

Speaker 3 (03:03):
specific ones you'd like to talk about today.
Sure, I mean, there are lots ofmyths around our profession and
I think one of the biggest oneis probably affordability that
if you're offering such atremendous service that it
wouldn't be affordable and youknow we really like to educate
on that and explain to ourclients that we work with that

(03:28):
there's more involved than thebottom line and that included in
your bottom line there are alot of costs that come with
employees and turnover and allof the things that happen in
healthcare that unfortunatelybecome a waste, because I think
one of the biggest myths is thatyou can just plug any nurse

(03:52):
into any arena and that iscertainly a recipe for disaster.
Each nurse has a unique gift,if you will.
For instance, there are nursesthat are wonderful in pediatrics
but they don't work so well,maybe, with the elderly.
Or there are nurses that workin mental health that really

(04:15):
don't have the qualities that ittakes to succeed as a mental
health nurse.
We each have, you know, maybethe same clinical skills, but
those other areas definitelyhave to be addressed to make
sure that you can succeed.
You know there's so manydifferent moving parts to what a
nurse does and for it to besuccessful, not only for the

(04:38):
nurse but the entity that'srequiring them to have a nurse.
You know, both ends really haveto line up perfectly, like I
think of it as in putting apuzzle together.
We would never take a puzzleand just not worry about where
the edges are or what two piecesgo together and say, well,

(05:00):
because they're puzzle pieces,we'll just make them fit.
That's insanity.
So we really have to look athealthcare and healthcare
providers in the same way thatthere's two pieces of a puzzle
that are gonna fit togetherbeautifully, perfectly and
exactly how they were meant towork out.
So we're kind of like themaster of finding those two

(05:26):
puzzle pieces that sit togetherperfectly.

Speaker 2 (05:30):
Yeah, and it's not so cut and dry with nursing.
I think you know with thedoctor, okay, they're
specialized in this.
You know, with nurses, it'slike it's so much more about
where their specialty is thatthey find kind of throughout
their career path right, and sothe fact that you're kind of
helping people see through thefog with that and like

(05:51):
understand, like, okay, where isthis nurse really going to
provide the most value, I thinkthat is so special and unique to
your company.
So, as we think of marketing asthe heart of any business, who
are your target customers andhow do you attract them to the
company?

Speaker 3 (06:08):
Yeah, I'm glad you asked our target customers again
is really anyone that is afacility.
We don't do in-home care orthat sort of thing, but any
place that's a facility.
We provide mental health, mhmrcommunities with nurses,
long-term care, assisted livinghospitals, schools, living

(06:38):
hospitals, schools almost anyarea that you can think of that
is required to have a nurse.
Some factories have anoccupational health nurse on
site.
We can do those type of things.
We do clinics at times wheremaybe you only need a nurse for
a certain period of time to dovaccines or you know a specific
thing.
And I think what attracts andwhat markets us is the value

(07:05):
that we add to any organizationand the fact that we will tailor
a contract and an agreement toexactly, again, what both
parties are seeing.
So we can be very specific incoming to an agreement that's

(07:25):
going to work out for bothparties, to make sure that the
need is filled and that we havethe highest success rate for a
good outcome, which is differentthan, you know, a lot of our
competitors A lot of times.
You know, in this spaceparticularly, it has become

(07:47):
again a little bit robotic likehey, if you have a nursing
license you can work anywhereand that, quite frankly, just
isn't our.
That's not our approachwhatsoever.
I've seen, you know, a lot ofthings go wrong in that kind of
approach because, again, justbecause someone holds a license,

(08:08):
it would almost be like saying,because I have a driver's
license, that I can go out andget on a motorcycle or drive a
18 wheeler.

Speaker 2 (08:16):
It's like no, there's more to it than just the fact
that you know the basics aboutproviding something Right and a
lot of the business owners thatyou work with, I'm sure they
don't have the time to get intoall the nitty gritty details of
each nurse's background andresearching who would fit them

(08:38):
best.
I mean, they know what theyneed, right, they know what they
need out of a nurse, but theydon't know necessarily how to
ask the right questions touncover, necessarily the
background about each personthat they'd be hiring in order
to discover if they are theright fit.
So I love that value add.
And, as we're thinking aboutpeople who need the service that

(09:01):
you're offering here, have youever thought about reaching them
through doing a podcast of yourown?

Speaker 3 (09:08):
We have actually it's been a big talking point for
probably about the last 18months.
We've thought about the amountof not only for our clients but
also for the nurses that we'reserving.
You know nurses are facing athat is public service driven

(09:34):
firefighters, police officers,first responders.
You know our troops.
I think a lot of them sometimesfeel like they're, they're in
this silo in our communities now, and I think a podcast would be
a really great way to reachgroups of people who need to not

(09:55):
feel alone in these things andthat now more than ever, you not
only have the demands of thisselfless service industry that
you're in, but you have thedemands of you know what it
takes being that person in yourhousehold or in your family A
lot of times.
You know you can't go to afamily reunion if you're a nurse

(10:15):
without somebody saying, hey,let me show you this, or hey,
can you look at this, or hey,I've been having these symptoms,
can you help me work throughthis?
So it's almost like you'renever off duty and it's.
You know, I think about it.
It's probably the same forpolice officers and, you know,
firefighters and anybody againthat's serving the community in

(10:35):
a really beautiful way.
I think we need something suchas a podcast that can reach
those individuals and make themknow that they're not alone.
And unfortunately in our jobsthere's a shortage happening.
So we used to be able to fillthat gap with each other on our
lunch break or you know, acouple minutes that you have to

(10:58):
spare in between taking care ofyour patients, but unfortunately
, due to the shortage, that timeisn't there anymore.
I mean, it's very common thatnurses don't even have time to
use the bathroom or nourishthemselves properly or hydrate
throughout their shift, becausethey are just from the time they
clock in till the time theywalk out.

(11:20):
It's like go, go, go.
So I think a podcast would be areally beautiful way to be able
to reach, you know, nurses andother individuals in the
healthcare sector as well, butalso to reach upper level
management.
I think your point was aboutreaching them in terms of

(11:42):
marketing, but I think that'sbecome a little bit of a hard
feat as well.
Most of the time we find thatthey're reaching out to us and
we have calls every dayrequesting nurses, and what I
hear time and time again fromthese individuals is they don't
have a moment to spare to evenknow what they need.

Speaker 2 (12:05):
Right, they just know there's a gap.
Yeah that they need to fillthat gap, yeah.

Speaker 3 (12:11):
And then that's the part that's so beautiful about
what we offer.
Something else that we offerthat is really important to us
is the relationship itself.
Somebody has to be nurturingthese relationships.
It's like having a gardenno-transcript.

(13:03):
These beautiful professionalsfeel like you don't even know me
.
I've maybe worked here for fiveor 10 years and you don't even
know that I'll never work anight shift, and that's just one
example, right?
But you know it comes back torelationships.
I think really caring aboutpeople, and when you take care
of the nurse, then the nurse isgoing to go out there and give

(13:25):
beautiful care.

Speaker 2 (13:27):
Absolutely.
That's great insight.
It's taking care of the givers,who are always giving to others
.
So, outside of work, what doyou do for fun, melissa?
Oh my goodness.

Speaker 3 (13:37):
I do all kinds of crazy things for fun.
I'm highly involved in thecommunity.
I love to give back.
I love to find fun ways.
We like to go to football games.
That's something we like to do.
We also like to just getinvolved in community projects

(13:57):
and ways to give back.
So my favorite thing is justmaking sure that we leave things
a little better off than whatwe find them.
I was kind of raised that way,so it you know anything that I
can do, that my hands are in itand we're improving something.
That's really where my passionis.

Speaker 2 (14:18):
Well, your business is absolutely doing that, and
thank you for the time thatyou're spending on the community
and helping people that way.
So, melissa, please tell ourlisteners one thing that should
stick with them aboutCompassionate Care Unlimited.

Speaker 3 (14:34):
I think the thing I'd like to stick with listeners
would be that at CompassionateCare, it's important for us to
care for the caregivers and ifyou know a nurse, please just be
kind to them, thank them.
Find some small way, even if itis just hey, pick up the phone.
And if you know a nurse, pleasejust be kind to them, thank
them.
Find some small way, even if itis just hey, pick up the phone
and say I was thinking of youtoday and thank you for what you

(14:56):
do.
I recognize that your job ishard and I think we all should
think about the fact that healthcare in our communities is
important.
So our local hospitals areimportant.
The local places that are ableto care for our seniors are
important.
So our local hospitals areimportant.
The local places that are ableto care for our seniors are
important.
School nurses are important.
So really just thinking abouthow, how important healthcare in

(15:19):
our communities are.

Speaker 2 (15:21):
And how can our listeners learn more about
Compassionate Care Unlimited?

Speaker 3 (15:26):
They can go to our website.
Our website isCompassionateCarePAcom.

Speaker 2 (15:33):
Excellent.
Well, Melissa, I very muchappreciate your time today and
having you as a guest on theshow.
We wish you and your businessthe best moving forward.

Speaker 3 (15:45):
Thank you for having me on the show, appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (15:49):
Thank you for listening to the good neighbor
podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on
the show, go to gnppittsburghcom.
That's gnppittsburghcom, orcall 412-561-9956.