by Carolina Zimbron, Student Writer
Nurses and entrepreneurs have something in common — they meet the needs of others.
Vida Boafo, founder of the Fairfield, Ohio-based Vebcom Healthcare Services, is combining her entrepreneurial mindset with her education in nursing from Cedarville University to meet the health care needs of senior adults and individuals with developmental disabilities. Boafo, formerly of Ghana, West Africa, earned a nurse practitioner master’s degree from Cedarville in 2015.
With financial support of a $643,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Aging, Boafo recently expanded her company’s services to include an adult day center for seniors. The project is expected to be completed within the next six months.
“I realized that most nursing homes were struggling with staffing issues, and this can cause less quality of service to patients,” said Boafo. “Seeing this, I believed Vebcom Healthcare could step into this space and provide a valuable service to patients, while reducing pressure from nursing home facilities.”
Vebcom Healthcare Services was founded in 2018 and initially provided supplemental staffing to nursing homes and hospice facilities in southwest Ohio. A little more than a year later, COVID created a different need.
The crisis of the pandemic provided us with the opportunity to send our staff into patients’ homes to assist them with personal care and daily living tasks,” said Boafo. Three years later, in 2022, Vebcom expanded its services to include its adult day services center where individuals with disabilities are provided a social network, community support and recreational activities. Once Vebcom received the Ohio Department of Aging grant, it expanded into day care services for senior adults.
Now, with the grant, Vebcom is renovating and equipping its facility to provide more space that provides higher quality services. “God has been so gracious in providing us this opportunity to be a helping hand to those in need and to our community,” Boafo said.
Boafo migrated to the United States in 2002 and had the opportunity to study nursing at Northern Kentucky University. This degree provided her with the background to work in health care before she enrolled in Cedarville University’s master’s degree family nurse practitioner program. Boafo, married and with four children, currently is pursuing a doctoral degree in nursing practice from Cedarville.
Running a business always presents its challenges, but Boafo’s persistence and determination have allowed her to look beyond the challenges and focus on the needs of her community. “This is what I want to do,” Boafo said. “I’ve always had a passion for taking care of people which is why I am committed to supporting those who are vulnerable. I found my niche and purpose there.”
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is a Baptist university with undergraduate programs in arts, sciences, and professional programs, and graduate programs. With an enrollment of 5,456 students in 175 areas of study, Cedarville is one of the largest private universities in Ohio and is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, and high graduation and retention rates. For more information about the University, visit cedarville.edu.