info@viviacares.com
1-888-484-2250
Vivia Cares, Inc

The Vivia Story

Vivia was born out of the passion of our founders to bridge the widening chasm between the kind of inhome care services that seniors and families wanted and what was available given the severe workforce shortage of home caregivers. We listened to our senior clients and their families and learned that they wanted:

  • A consistent care team at each visit
  • Assurance that their caregiver would show up reliably and not cancel at the last minute
  • To not pay for time they did not need by having to buy a minimum block of hours
  • Well-trained, thoughtful and proactive caregivers who would socially engage their loved one during a visit in addition to completing their tasks
  • The ability to have more frequent, shorter visits including several times a day instead of long shifts

Find out how Vivia can work for you

We then asked our caregivers what they needed to deliver these consistent, reliable, high quialty services through shorter visits and what they responded:

  • Stable hours and guaranteed full time work – they wanted to be career caregivers and were not interested in another part time job
  • Higher wages
  • Assistance with transportation barriers
  • To be considered a meaningful member of the team with full understanding of the senior and family’s goals
  • Full support from RNs and administrators to help them problem-solve issues in the field so that they do not feel alone.

Vivia’s neighborhood model is our compelling solution to bridge this gap. First pioneered in Honolulu, Hawaii, Vivia has proven that it can fulfill this promise of delivering consistent, reliable and frequent personal care in the home and achieving a whole new home care experience.

When the family’s goals evolve to longer continuous hours of service or a hybrid model of care the Vivia Team facilitates coordination of traditional home care services that meet high standards of excellence as well. When it is appropriate to introduce smart home technologies to supplement services, the Vivia Team is technology enabled and well-versed at suggesting solutions that may help.

Our mission is to transform home care with innovative models of in-home services paired with technologies to make it feasible for all seniors to live independently at home and have access to personalized, consistent and coordinated services at home.

Leadership Team

Dew-Anne Langcaon

CEO

Dew-Anne Langcaon, CEO is a senior services entrepreneur with 25+ years’ experience in the healthcare industry in executive leadership of hospitals, mergers and acquisitions and technology solutions. A CPA by training with Deloitte and more than 15 years of experience as a senior hospital executive with Hawaii Pacific Health prior to founding Ho’okele Health Innovations and Vivia. As the Chief Strategy Officer for Hawaii Pacific Health, Dew-Anne was the key driver in the consolidation of operations of several hospitals and physician groups postacquisition and understands the importance of leveraging technologies to standardize and gain economies of scale. Dew-Anne is driven to build organizations that fulfill a greater mission, but are fiscally strong and sustainable.

Bonnie Castonguay

RN, Chief Clinical Officer

Bonnie Castonguay, RN, Chief Clinical Officer is a quality improvement and health outcomes expert with more than 35 years of experience in nursing, hospital quality, and care management. Prior to founding Ho’okele Health Innovations and Vivia, Bonnie served as the Vice President of Quality at Hawaii Pacific Health. Bonnie is an innovator in the field of complex care management, leading a team of nurses under a federal grant that helped the most complex patients navigate care in their own homes and saved the payer more than $1M in less than a year. With more than 15 years of experience leading care navigation and home operations, Bonnie is passionate about coordinated care for seniors which includes well-trained caregivers in the field.

Tanya Fernandes

JD, Chief Executive Officer of Home Care Operations

Tanya Fernandes, JD, Home Care CEO is the pioneer of Vivia’s “neighborhood approach” with more than 7 years of experience in the eldercare industry. Tanya leads the execution of Vivia’s new neighborhood model as well as the systemization of processes that make Vivia feasible. A lawyer by training with a background in accounting and a degree in psychology, Tanya’s strength is change management and working with the people within an agency to understand and adopt change. Tanya is passionate making home care accessible to all seniors.

Dan Fredericks

Chief Technology Officer

Dan Fredericks, Chief Technology Officer is the principal architect of the iHealthHome software solution underlying Vivia. Dan’s prior experience included designing and building ERP systems for nationwide companies along with designing and developing data warehouse and business intelligence solutions for multiple mid to large cap companies with TIBCO. This experience combined with his more than 7 years in the eldercare technology industry provides him a unique ability to listen to and translate the needs of clients and caregivers into developing technologies that support the transformation.

Kara Mayeda

VP Customer Success

Kara Mayeda, VP Customer Success is an expert in home care agency systems and processes. Prior joining iHealthHome and Vivia, Kara started from scratch a fully paperless home and community-based services division for Keiro Northwest in Seattle using the iHealthHome software platform. As the VP of Customer Success, Kara has implemented Vivia’s information system, iHealthHome, in more than a 100 care management and home care agencies. Kara is passionate about making it easy for agencies to adopt technology.

Mary Lester

RN, VP and Maui COO

Mary Lester, RN, VP and Maui COO is a rural community leader in home care on the island of Maui. Mary was the start up executive who opened Ho’okele’s Maui operations from ground zero. Prior to joining Ho’okele, Mary was the Executive Director for Home Care for Hale Makua Health Services. Navigating the lower income demographic of the rural community, Mary has become expert at government contracted services and champions the cause of accessibility. Mary is leading the expansion of Vivia to Maui.

Tracy Hart

VP and Director of Operations

Tracy Hart, VP and Director of Operations is a seasoned home care director with expertise of more than a decade in managing HR, scheduling and caregiver relations for home care agencies. Tracy designed the recruiting, hiring and training program for Vivia and is the principal customer acquisition specialist helping families to assess their needs and goals and determining the appropriate Vivia plan to meet their goals. She is skilled at helping families identify their needs and goals and crafting the right solution for their budgets.

Our History

Vivia was started by Ho’okele Health Innovations (Ho’okele) in 2019 out of this passion for seeking solutions for in-home care with better care at better cost and accessible for all. Ho’okele was founded in 2006 by Dew Anne Langcaon and Bonnie Castonguay, RN. Ho’okele is the Hawaiian word for Navigator. It represents the person on the voyaging canoe who used the stars and seas to navigate the challenging journey between the Polynesian islands and the Hawaiian islands. Senior care can often feel like a challenging journey and Ho’okele has been there to help families for over 15 years. Our Hawaiian roots guide our company values which infuses our delivery of high quality services.

Our values

  • Focus on creating a “wow” experience for our clients and families
  • Embrace technology as an enabler of communication and efficiency
  • Conduct ourselves with trust, integrity and inclusivity
  • Treat others with compassion and Aloha
  • Continuously seek ways to make home care accessible to all
  • Help families to focus on love again

Making home care accessible to all will require technology to play an important part in keeping our neighborhood model efficient and therefore affordable. We view technology as an enabler of communication and efficient workflow in support of the human services we provide. Our Vivia platform was acquired from iHealthHome, Inc. in 2020 and is an advanced care management platform that serves to automate our processes and allows us to keep in communication with our Vivia Team and our client families.

The transformation of the in-home care experience has proven to be so compelling, Ho’okele is driven to share it with others and thus Vivia was launched in 2021 to enable expansion of the neighborhood model beyond our islands and to fulfill this promise to multitudes of seniors.

Board of Directors

Fredric Stern, MD

Chairman of the Board

Fredric Stern, MD is a physician specializing for over 20 years in aesthetic and cosmetic surgery and is the Medical Director of The Stern Center for Aesthetic Surgery in Bellevue Washington. Fred also has held several leadership positions in healthcare including Chief of Ophthalmology at Virginia Mason, Member of the Board of Virginia Mason, Member of the Board for Virginia Mason Health Plans, and Member of the Board for Alliant Health Plan. Fred holds a BA from Tufts University, an MD from Columbia University and completed his residency at the University of Washington. He has been voted “Best Plastic Surgeon” by both King 5 Best of Western Washington and 425 Magazine. Fred’s passion for fine food and wine led him to become an entrepreneur and co-founder of Noviello Vineyards.

Mike Curtis

Director

Mike is the Managing Director, Finance for Elemental Excelerator. Elemental Exclerator is on a mission to redesign the systems at the root of climate change and breaking down the barriers to innovation alongside entrepreneurs. After spending the first 20 years of his professional life in the banking industry, Mike pursued entrepreneurial adventures in a variety of start-ups and distressed companies. Mike is a seasoned finance and operations leader with broad experiences who brings forward collaborative problem solving with ethics, vision and determination. Mike also contributes his time and talents to a variety of non-profit organizations working to make Hawaii a better place to live including Family Programs Hawaii, Friends of Foster Kids, The Outdoor Circle, The Hawaii Blood Bank, St. Andrew’s Schools and Housing Solutions Incorporated.

Dew-Anne Langcaon

Director

Dew-Anne Langcaon, CEO is a senior services entrepreneur with 25+ years’ experience in the healthcare industry in executive leadership of hospitals, mergers and acquisitions and technology solutions. A CPA by training with Deloitte and more than 15 years of experience as a senior hospital executive with Hawaii Pacific Health prior to founding Ho’okele Health Innovations and Vivia. As the Chief Strategy Officer for Hawaii Pacific Health, Dew-Anne was the key driver in the consolidation of operations of several hospitals and physician groups postacquisition and understands the importance of leveraging technologies to standardize and gain economies of scale. Dew-Anne is driven to build organizations that fulfill a greater mission, but are fiscally strong and sustainable.

Ben Nakaoka

Director

Ben is a retired CPA and former manager with Deloitte & Touche who has served for over 40 years in CFO or VP Finance roles for a variety of companies from the largest automotive retailer in the, an industrial ship repair company, real estate development and a medical device start up. Ben is a graduate of the University of Sothern California and the University of Hawaii and now volunteers his time in the community including serving as the Treasurer for the McKinley High School Foundation and former Chairman of the Board for Junior Achievement of Hawaii.. Ben brings to the Board his wealth of operations finance experience as well as the early investor’s perspective as one of Vivia Cares, Inc’s first investors back in 2010.

Ryan Tarzy

Director

Ryan is Managing Director of Rising Tide Collective which provides coaching and advisory services for founders and executive teams of start-ups. Ryan brings a wealth of experience in the innovation and health care sectors having previously served as the Chief Commercial Officer for Prealize Health and VP of Sales, Strategy and Customer Success for CoverMyMeds. Ryan is passionate about working with founders to create successful companies and achieve their dreams.

Strategic Advisors

Alex Katz, MD

Dr. Katz is a hospital based internal medicine physician with 14 years of extensive expertise in management of hospitalized patients with a variety of complex medical conditions. This work requires him to have a deep understanding of social as well as medical needs of patients and he regularly must coordinate care with social services, insurance, pharmacy, home health agencies and other home and community-based services. Dr. Katz is also deeply involved in administrative matters of the hospital on the local, regional and system levels for Providence St. Joseph Health’s 51 hospitals and 800 outpatient clinics. Dr. Katz chairs various committees including his most recent focus on utilization management. Dr. Katz is an active angel investor with Keiretsu Forum based in Seattle, WA where he enjoys working with entrepreneurs. Dr. Katz is also an entrepreneur himself working to grow a home health care company with his wife Natalya in Olympia, WA where he advises on strategic planning, human resource management and regulatory matters. Dr. Katz is also actively involved in community and school activities especially for their three children and he is fluent in the Russan language.

Cheri McEssy

Cheri McEssy is the owner of CMAC Ventures LLC which allows her to financially invest and formally provide coaching, mentoring, and consulting to businesses and healthcare innovation start-ups. She is a partner in McVentures LLC which is focused on investing in and advising on business endeavors that work in the wellness, aging and health technology fields with a special emphasis on empowering women founded companies. She works with Project Sunflower which is a unique private equity platform that coinvests in buyout transactions with premier sponsors who value the importance of the female perspective in investment strategy. Following a successful exit from her BrightStar Care of Chicago home care, care management and healthcare staffing business, Cheri uses her experience as a Nurse Executive and business owner to now focus on investment opportunities, consulting, and philanthropic interests. Cheri is an experienced and sought-after board member in both advisory and governance roles. She attended Marquette University and is a member of their Leadership Board at the College of Nursing; her clinical career was focused on critical care/trauma nursing. Cheri has received numerous clinical, business, and professional excellence awards and is also the founder of Springboard Chicago, a women's professional development group

Mark Montoney, MD

Dr. Montoney is the Senior Medical Advisor of Contessa Health, having previously served as its Chief Medical Officer, overseeing clinical operations for patients in a progressive home recovery care program. Mark also serves as a Senior Advisor on the investment committee for Martin Ventures, a Nashville based venture capital firm focused solely on healthcare. Prior to Contessa Health, he served as the Chief Medical Officer of Tenet Healthcare where he led a network of regional physician executives and collaborated with nursing leadership in driving clinical performance and patient care. Mark joined Tenet through its acquisition of Vanguard Health Systems, where he was the Chief Medical Officer. At Vanguard, he was responsible for system-wide clinical quality improvement, patient safety, physician alignment strategies and value-based health care delivery. Prior to Vanguard, Mark was the Chief Medical Officer of OhioHealth where he also practiced internal medicine and geriatrics.

Lawrence D. Rodriguez

Larry is a retired partner with Ernst & Young. He was with E&Y for over 40 years spending 29 years as a partner and over 15 years as the managing partner of the Hawaii practice. His career in public accounting included serving companies in the financial services, healthcare, airlines, retail, hospitality, real estate and insurance industries. In addition to his work in audit-related matters, Larry also provided services that covered taxes, internal controls and other operational activities for local and mainland companies with global locations. After E&Y, Larry served as the CFO for Central Pacific Financial Corp and assisted with the Corporation’s recapitalization. Today Larry operates his own consulting firm to help organizations with financial, operational and other business matters. Larry devotes considerable time to many non-profit organizations and is a recognized community philanthropist.

Skip Rosenbloom, MD

Dr. Rosenbloom is a physician, a former health plan medical director, and a businessman, with a broad based perspective on the health care system and expertise in the issues of quality and medical necessity of care. His experience encompasses a seven-year practice in occupational medicine and emergency medicine, founding a managed care company, and management and consulting work with a wide range of businesses. Dr. Rosenbloom has served as the Managing Partner of Sacramento Surgery Center Associates, and prior to that has held positions as CEO of Polymer Biosciences, Inc., Division President of Cambridge Integrated Services Group, SVP and Chief Medical Officer for Presidium Inc. Dr. Rosenbloom is actively involved with many community charities including the Jewish Federation of the Sacarmento Region, Central Downtown Food Basket, Triumph Cancer Foundation, the B Street Theatre Company and the Jewish Community Foundation of the West.

Damien Westerman

Damian is a principal and founding member of W&T Family Office which invests opportunistically in private equity, real estate, and venture capital across a variety of sectors. He leads the continued development of W&T through the creation and execution of the office’s strategic investment policy which is supported by his diverse network and effective due diligence process. W&T has diversified its portfolio through over 100 investment opportunities, while consistently exceeding return targets and achieving top success rates under his leadership. He is always eager to engage with portfolio companies and utilize his experience in finance and high-pressure negotiations to support their goals and promote collaboration. Prior to W&T Damian worked ten years in energy, managing development of 500K acres across 5 states and executing over $200M in JV and A&D transactions. Damian and his wife enjoy spending quality time with their family and three dogs on the trails. They are passionate travelers, especially by road, always seeking new perspectives to apply both personally and professionally.

Get in touch

Find out more about how Vivia can work for you. Contact us for a free consultation info@viviacares.com

1-888-484-2250

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