Our Story

Dobson Healthcare was created because there was a need…

Jami Dobson founded Dobson in 1988 as a result of a need she identified for individuals who required a high level of care in their homes.  Jami worked in the Lansing area as a hospital nurse prior to starting Dobson, and worked on the weekends for a national home healthcare company.  Jami found her time working as a home health care nurse to be very rewarding, as she was working one on one with clients outside of the hospital setting, and was responsible for their care.

One of her home care clients in 1988 was a teenage quadriplegic, who over the course of his care became ventilator dependent.  At the time, the large national home care agency that Jami was working for informed her that they would no longer be able to provide care for this teenager.  As a result of the home care agency’s decision Jami’s teenage client would be placed in a nursing home until his insurance was able to locate a facility that accepted vent patients.

Jami was devastated that a teenager who was already dealing with a life-changing injury would now have to lose the little independence that he did have while still living at home; nursing homes caring for clients with such complicated needs were few and far between.  As the care manager for this young client searched for a nursing facility that would accept him, the harsh reality that it would not be near his home, family and friends quickly became evident.

Through research and meeting with many physicians, nurses, and insurance case managers, Jami created a home care plan that would enable this young man to stay in his own home.   The best Jami could ask for was the approval of a trial basis for this type of care, which she received.  With the assistance of many wonderful healthcare providers Jami quickly found herself responsible for coordinating and overseeing the home care needs for Dobson’s very first patient.

Dobson is fortunate to have been continuously servicing the state of Michigan since the start of care for this young teenager in 1988 until today.  There are very few independently and locally owned home care agencies remaining in business after twenty years.  As the initial RN investor, Jami Dobson-Schrumpf is still actively involved in the daily operations of Dobson Healthcare and Staffing Services, Inc.   She is proud of the fact that Dobson has grown from our very first small East Lansing office, servicing only Ingham County, to the company that it is today, servicing over 44 counties in the state of Michigan.  Stretching from Lansing north to the Mackinaw Bridge, our clients range from premature infants to 102 year old grandmothers.