A History of Excellence
For over a decade, our staff has set the standard for excellence in private home health care. Evergreen Private Care is honored to provide excellent services for clients needing care in their homes, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and assisted living facilities or skilled nursing facilities.
Evergreen Private Care is Licensed, Bonded and Insured
Evergreen Private Care of Houston, LLC TX State HCSSA Lic. 016541. Evergreen Private Care of Houston, LLC Certificate #801116795 DBA Evergreen Private Care.
Evergreen Private Care is a proud member of the Chamber of Commerce in Northwest Houston. The Evergreen team is an active and positive influence for the community and businesses it serves. The staff of Evergreen Private Care actively consults with local teaching institutions in order to improve the level of service provided to Texas residents. Participation in charitable organizations is engrained in the culture of Evergreen Private Care.
Starr Zolton, Administrator
Starr’s prior experience as the Administrator for an Orthopedic surgeon involved scheduling, credentialing, billing, office efficiency and above all, patient comfort. She acted as the liaison between the practice, the hospitals, other physicians and patients.
She also managed a Physical and Occupational Therapy clinic ensuring license and certification compliance and patient and referring physician satisfaction. Starr has always been an active contributor in her community and has served in various roles with The Rotary Club, Chamber of Commerce, Texas A & M International University Mentor Program, South Texas Tech Prep Consortium and her house of worship. She is a strong believer that every day is a gift and an opportunity to make a difference.
Rita Acuna, BSN, RN, CCM, Director of Nursing and Clinical Services
SRita Acuna, BSN, RN, CCM, graduated from St. Edward’s University, Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Biology. She graduated from The University of Texas with honors in 1990 with a BSN. Ms. Acuna has worked 28 years as an RN in medical/surgical, rehab and home health. She has enjoyed precepting new nurses, performing quality assurance and nurse management duties.
Ms. Acuna is experienced in handling catastrophic and complex cases, creating customized care plans for clients with traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, amputations and other disease processes resulting in paraplegia or quadriplegia. Ms. Acuna is certified as a case manager. CCM is prized as the gold standard for case manager excellence across all health care and health management settings. The Commission is positioned as the most active and prestigious certification organization supporting the practice of case management.
Married 28 years with 3 children. Rita is from a family of many nurses. She enjoys helping others particularly in their time of need. In her spare time, Rita enjoys traveling, hiking, spending time with family and friends.
Karla Bauer, Director of Strategy Solutions
Karla has been providing quality care in various settings for over 30 years. She brings a unique combination of experience as a private care giver, patient advocate, nurse and care manager to her role as Strategy Solutions Director for EPC. Her passion is to assist clients and their families through the complex decisions they face to achieve continuity of care for their loved one. Utilizing her expertise, Karla is able to create solutions that provide the highest quality care for our clients.
Laura Cook, Vice President
Laura is passionate about quality and advocacy. Her skill and passion for ‘the best’ drives her ability to create development and growth. Prior to joining Evergreen, Laura was the director for a neurodiagnostics company, managing the Dallas and San Antonio markets. She facilitated good relationships between the company, physicians, clinics and patients while assuring that the daily workflow processes and operations ran smoothly. She was also the director for a therapy/diagnostics company, managing all field technicians, quality assurance, and reporting.
She received her B.A. from McNeese State University in 1989. Customer satisfaction and quality assurance have been Laura’s passion her entire career in the health and wellness industries. She carries this same passion for quality into the further development of Evergreen Private Care. She is an active Chamber member and is also very active in her local house of worship where she also teaches.
Andrea Sanford, Director of Financial Services
Andrea brings to Evergreen Private Care more than 25 years of financial management experience. Her previous employment includes serving as Head Bookkeeper of a private Christian School where she graduated as Valedictorian.
Andrea is also a licensed insurance agent who managed the daily operations of a fast paced full-service insurance agency. Her passion is serving others and she demonstrates that by leading a team of volunteers at her local house of worship weekly. She has been happily married to David, her high school sweetheart for 37 years. They have a married daughter who is an Oncology Nurse Practitioner and are expecting their first grandchild later this year.
Jon W. Tofte, Chief Financial Officer
Before coming to Evergreen as Chief Financial Officer, Jon previously served for over nine years as the CFO for Family Private Care one of Florida’s largest licensed nurse registries. As CFO, Jon is responsible for the financial reporting process and advising the accounting staff providing support for clients and caregivers regarding billing, insurance filings, payroll and independent contractor relationships.
Jon is a Certified Public Accountant and has practiced in public accounting for over 25 years, both with several accounting firms as well as his own practice. He is a graduate of Stetson University and earned his Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago, Graduate School of Business. He has helped many clients with tax planning and preparation, financial statements, and even personal budgeting and planning. He is a proud graduate of Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University.
In his spare time, Jon is an avid barbecue chef and a fan of post-war classic American automobiles. Jon has been married to Faith for 28 years and they have two sons, Kenton & Trent.
Jerry Wheeler, Owner, President
Jerry Wheeler is an innovative leader. His past years of experience include business and non-profit work. Business experience included invention and patent security of an innovative fireplace adaptation product. Every aspect of development including legal, manufacturing and market penetration was directed by Jerry. Development and refinement of marketing and operational strategy led to featured interviews, and articles in USA Today, Wall Street Journal, and a multitude of other leading journals, periodicals and television shows.
Jerry was awarded the Starkansas award by Governor Mike Huckabee for outstanding volunteerism in the state of Arkansas. Last year when devastating tornadoes ravaged his local community, he organized a relief effort that raised thousands of dollars and benefited each and every family who applied for financial assistance. Jerry possesses a heart of compassion for those from every continuum of life.
Jerry possesses a solid record of building, training and leading top performing support teams and believes that this is key to successfully securing environments for seniors needs to be met.
Keren Baldwin Wheeler RN, BSN Owner, Chief Executive Officer
Keren Wheeler is an expert in Private Care. She has worked tirelessly as an advocate for seniors and their families. She started Family Private Care, one of the leading home health companies in South Florida. She carefully identified a team of compassionate performers which resulted in 40% growth year after year. In November 2004, Keren launched and founded Family Private Care in Atlanta, Georgia. She has always held to the conviction that her colleagues are partners and key to success in senior care. Compassion, skill and professionalism demonstrated by the whole team, results in peaceful solutions, enhancing the opportunity for seniors to age in place.
The simple adage that governs Evergreen Private Care is the belief expressed by Keren through the years, “we are people caring for people”. The conviction that each woman, man, boy and girl should be treated with dignity and respect as if they are a part of her family, drives the passion with which each clients need are addressed and creative solutions designed. Keren has had the distinct privilege to serve over 15,000 families who have had various needs for private care service.
Keren has served as an active member with various boards including Hobe Sound Chamber of Commerce and various senior special interest boards including the Alzheimer’s Association. She has enjoyed the distinction of being nominated as a “Woman of Distinction” by the Soroptimist International Woman’s Organization and received the Hobe Sound Chamber of Commerce Business Owner of the Year award. While owner and CEO for Family Private Care, the business received the Industry Appreciation Award of recognition for outstanding contribution to Martin County, Florida.
Keren believes that there are many options that must be considered as loved ones face physical decline and challenge but ultimately, there is no place like home. Aging in place is the desire of all seniors. Evergreen Private Care is a resource to assist in making this desire a reality.
