This week on Everything Co-op, Adria Powell, Peggy Powell and Rick Surpin on the power of cooperative home care

Tune into WOL 1450 AM, 95.9 FM or the WOL Livestream on Thursday, October 15 at 10:30 a.m. EST for Everything Co-op, hosted by Vernon Oakes.

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This week's episode features an interview with Adria Powell, President and CEO of Cooperative Home Care Associates (CHCA), and Peggy Powell and Rick Surpin, CHCA co-founders. Vernon and his guests will explore how CHCA's worker-owned model advances quality care, worker empowerment and dignified employment in the home care industry.

Adria Powell is President and CEO of Cooperative Home Care Associates (CHCA), the nation's first worker-owned home care cooperative, co-founded in 1985 by her mother, Peggy Powell, and Rick Surpin. She assumed the role in January 2017, following her service as Executive Vice President.

Adria oversees CHCA's operations, training and workforce development, finance, quality performance and clinical services. She leads the cooperative's strategic planning and growth, with a focus on delivering high-quality care, supporting worker-owners and investing in the home care workforce. She also advocates for adequate funding to support the cost of home care services and collaborates with 1199SEIU to advance the interests of home care workers.

Adria holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology, with a minor in Black Studies, from Boston College and a Master of Public Administration in Health Policy and Management from New York University.

Peggy Powell is Senior Advisor at PHI, where she leads initiatives to strengthen the direct care workforce through innovative recruitment, training and career advancement strategies. She also advocates for public policies that support workforce development in long-term care.

As a co-founder of CHCA, Peggy helped advance a model that prioritizes worker empowerment and dignity. Since PHI's founding, she has contributed expertise in organizational planning, training and workforce development. She is nationally recognized for her work in adult learner-centered education and has co-authored numerous PHI curricula and training resources.

Rick Surpin is also a co-founder of CHCA, where he served as its first president from 1985 to 2000. He founded and led a second related organization, Independence Care System, in 1997. Independence Care System was a Medicaid-funded managed long-term care plan focused on serving adults with physical disabilities. The plan closed in 2019.