Community Highlights: Meet Dr Cleopatra Kum of Family Support Care LLC

Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr Cleopatra Kum.

Hi Dr Cleopatra, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My nursing journey began more than a decade ago in Cameroon, with a bold pivot. I was trained in Geology and Environmental Sciences at the University of Buea in Cameroon. However, I found myself drawn to work that was more directly connected to people and community well-being. That decision led me to nursing, where I completed my early training as a State Enrolled Nurse at St. Francis School of Nursing and Midwifery in Buea, Cameroon.

Soon after, I moved to the United States and pursued an accelerated nursing degree at Northern Kentucky University. That experience shaped both my clinical foundation and my sense of what healthcare can and should look like when it is truly person-centered. I later completed a certificate in nursing education and earned a PhD in Nursing Science at the University of Cincinnati College of Nursing, where I deepened my commitment to evidence-based practice and the kind of care that respects the human story behind every diagnosis.

As I worked in home health, I saw a consistent gap: many families needed high-quality, compassionate care at home, yet the system often felt fragmented and impersonal, especially for older adults and people living with disabilities. I also saw how frequently people were pushed toward institutional care when, with the right supports, they could remain safely in their homes. That insight became the seed for Family Support Care. I founded the agency to deliver person-centered, evidence-informed home health care rooted in dignity, cultural respect, and family partnership. Our mission is simple: to help seniors and individuals with disabilities live at home with the honor they deserve for as long as possible.

My academic work grew out of the same real-world challenges I witnessed at the bedside. In home health, I repeatedly observed the strain carried by family caregivers and how caregiver well-being directly affects patient outcomes. That experience motivated my doctoral research, which focused on theoretically based factors associated with health among family caregivers of stroke survivors. My work has since been published in rigorous peer-reviewed journals, including the Western Journal of Nursing Research, the Journal of Neuroscience Nursing, and the Rehabilitation Nursing Journal, among others. My work has also been presented at conferences at the local, national, and international levels, including the Gerontological Society of America, the American Heart Association, and Neurological Nursing Forums. Today, I serve as an Assistant Professor of Nursing at the University of Cincinnati, and I bring what I learn in practice into the classroom and what I study in academia back into the community.

Quality and accountability are central to how we operate at Family Support Care. We are Medicare-accredited and ACHC-accredited, and we maintain licensure and approvals through the Ohio Department of Health, Ohio Medicaid, and the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities. We are contracted with major insurers, including Molina, Aetna, Buckeye, UnitedHealth, Anthem, Workers’ Compensation, and CareSource, among others. We are also MBE-, WBE-, and EDGE-certified in Ohio, reflecting our commitment to inclusive business leadership and community impact.

Service has always been a throughline in my work. I sit on the boards of the Cincinnati Association of Professionals in Aging and the African Professionals Network. I founded the KumZ International Medical Foundation, an organization committed to improving community health, one person at a time. In parallel with clinical and academic work, I have invested in developing sustainable leadership and operational excellence through programs such as the Cincinnati Regional Chamber’s C-Change, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses, and SBA Emerging Leaders, along with additional business and leadership initiatives.

When I look at where I am today, I see a single, consistent purpose connecting every step: advancing care that is rigorous, compassionate, and rooted in respect. Whether I am teaching future nurses, conducting research, or leading a home care agency, my goal is the same: to make it easier for those who have cared for us and loved us to age, heal, and live with dignity in the place they call home.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a completely smooth road, but the challenges have been the kind that many small business owners will recognize. I entered this work with a deep sense of purpose. I wanted to provide excellent care and say yes whenever someone needed help. Very quickly, I learned that passion alone does not sustain an organization, especially in a highly regulated, insurance-driven healthcare environment.

One of the earliest and most persistent struggles was learning the financial and operational reality of home health care: billing insurance correctly, navigating prior authorizations, managing denials, and waiting far too long to be paid for services already delivered. Those delays can threaten cash flow, payroll, and the ability to hire and retain quality staff. I also had to confront a difficult truth. Even when your mission is service, financial sustainability is not optional. Money is not the purpose, but it is the infrastructure that makes the purpose possible. If the business cannot stay solvent, the vision cannot scale, and the community loses access to care.

That realization forced me to grow quickly as a leader. I dedicated time to learning the business side of healthcare, building stronger systems, and seeking expert support from institutions such as the Cincinnati Northern Kentucky African American Chamber of Commerce. With the guidance of excellent accountants and the discipline of better financial management, our organization was able to stabilize operations and build a profitable, compliant organization without compromising our values.

Those lessons shaped what I do now beyond Family Support Care. Because I know how costly those early mistakes can be, I mentor and support newer agency owners through our consulting arm so they can avoid pitfalls that could have been fatal for my business. I see it as an extension of the same mission: strengthening care in the community by helping ethical providers build sustainable organizations.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Family Support Care is a Medicare-accredited, person-centered home health care agency, serving individuals across Ohio who want to remain safely and confidently in their homes. At its core, our work is grounded in dignity, cultural respect, and family partnership. We specialize in skilled nursing, personal care, chronic disease management, medication and insulin management, OASIS-based assessments, and support for individuals with developmental and complex health needs. We serve clients under Medicare, Medicaid, waiver programs, and major managed care plans, including Molina, Aetna, Buckeye, and CareSource.

What sets us apart is the integration of clinical rigor with genuine human connection. Led by a nurse scientist and Assistant Professor of Nursing, Family Support Care was built on evidence-informed practice, regulatory excellence, and measurable quality outcomes. We are ACHC-accredited and maintain approvals through the Ohio Department of Health, Ohio Medicaid, and the Department of Developmental Disabilities. Our systems are structured, compliant, and audit-ready, yet our approach remains relational. We do not see clients as cases. We see them as families with stories, culture, and legacy.

We are particularly known for supporting older adults and individuals with disabilities who wish to avoid unnecessary institutionalization. Our care plans are individualized, our team is trained to think critically, and understand that high-quality documentation and reimbursement integrity are just as important as bedside compassion. As a minority- and woman-owned business with MBE, WBE, and EDGE certifications in Ohio, we also bring cultural intelligence and community accountability to our work.

Brand-wise, I am most proud that Family Support Care represents both excellence and empathy. We have invested in leadership development through programs such as Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses, SBA Emerging Leaders, and regional chamber initiatives because we believe that strong governance and strategic growth are integral to ethical healthcare delivery. We are not simply a service provider. We are building an institution that is financially disciplined, quality-driven, and mission-centered.

What I want readers to know is this: Family Support Care exists to make it possible for people to age and heal with honor. We believe older adults and people with disabilities should be respected for their contributions. Families should be supported rather than overwhelmed, and the home should remain a place of safety and identity for as long as possible. Our brand stands for competent care, cultural respect, and sustainable excellence in community-based healthcare.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
One surprising thing most people do not know about me is that I do not like cheese.

For someone who has built a life in healthcare, academia, and community leadership, people often assume I have adventurous tastes in everything. The truth is that I have tried many different brands and varieties of cheese over the years, and very few have won me over. The only one I genuinely enjoy is The Laughing Cow.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.familysupportcare.org
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063552820865
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-cleopatra-kum/