PATCHES PPEC

What PATCHES PPEC does

PATCHES PPEC (legal name: Pediatric Alternative Treatment, Care, Housing, & Evaluation Services, Inc.) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization operating Florida's largest Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care (PPEC) program, with two state-licensed centers in Florida City and Fort Pierce serving children from birth to age 21 with chronic or complex medical needs. Founded in 1999 by registered nurses Azona 'Kyle' Smith and Joanie Ippolito after helping draft Florida's 2002 PPEC authorization legislation, the organization delivers a bundled clinical-day-care model that bridges hospital discharge and home care: daily skilled nursing (RNs, LPNs, CNAs), respiratory therapy, physical/occupational/speech/pet therapy (up to 3.5 hours per week per discipline), nutrition support, on-site education (including a Miami-Dade County Public Schools teacher and VPK), and specially modified medical transport.

Revenue is generated primarily through Florida Medicaid reimbursement for core services, supplemented by charitable donations from individuals and a tiered corporate/foundation sponsor base (Visionary $1M+ Baptist Health South Florida; Angel of Hope $500K-$999K Heartbeats for PATCHES; Magic Maker $250K-$499K Lennar Foundation; plus Dream Builder, Innovator, and Partner tier foundations). All children are accepted regardless of ability to pay. Capacity is 160 children across the two locations, with growth-oriented initiatives including the 'PATCHES The Village' expansion project (property purchased) and education-services expansion at the Fort Pierce site.

The operating model is fundamentally human-delivered clinical care rather than technology-enabled; there is no AI/ML component, no proprietary software product, and no API. Digital presence is limited to social media community engagement and the patchesppec.org website. The organization's competitive position rests on regulatory provenance (helped draft Florida's PPEC law), 25 years of specialized pediatric clinical experience, a state license, a strong community/sponsor ecosystem, and brand recognition (Healthcare Heroes, Best of Florida 2025, Platinum Transparency via Candid).

Name

PATCHES PPEC

Legal name

Pediatric Alternative Treatment, Care, Housing, & Evaluation Services, Inc.

Website

https://patchesppec.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

PATCHES PPEC is a Florida-based nonprofit operating the state's largest Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care (PPEC) program, providing daily skilled nursing, respiratory and pediatric therapies, education, and transport to medically complex children (birth to 21) across two centers in Florida City and Fort Pierce, funded primarily by Medicaid and charitable donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Florida

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Medicaid Reimbursement: State-licensed center supported by Medicaid for approved pediatric extended care services. This is the primary funding source for operational costs.
2. Charitable Donations: Reliance on charitable donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate sponsors to supplement Medicaid funding and meet daily critical needs. Donors can make one-time or monthly gifts via GoFundMe.
3. Foundation and Corporate Sponsorship: Support from corporate sponsors (Baptist Health South Florida, Driftwood Capital, Florida Blue, Lennar Foundation) and foundations (Braman Family Foundation, Ocean Reef Community Foundation, Peacock Foundation, The Batchelor Foundation, The Reynolds Foundation) at various giving levels from Visionary ($1M+) to Partner ($25,000-$49,999).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

PATCHES PPEC operates state-licensed Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care (PPEC) centers that deliver daytime skilled nursing, respiratory therapy, physical/occupational/speech therapy, education, nutrition support, and medical transportation to medically complex children from birth to age 21. The program functions as a medical day-care bridging hospital and home, accepting all children regardless of ability to pay and billing primarily through Medicaid supplemented by charitable donations.

Product overview

PATCHES PPEC operates as Florida's largest nonprofit Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care (PPEC) center, providing a comprehensive medical day-care model that bridges hospital and home care for children with complex medical needs. The unified offering includes nursing care services, respiratory therapy, occupational/physical/speech/pet therapy, education, nutrition support, and transportation—all delivered at two Florida locations (Florida City and Fort Pierce) with capacity for 160 children ages birth to 21. The organization is state-licensed, Medicaid-supported, and serves children regardless of family's ability to pay.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Nursing Care Services Daily skilled nursing care delivered by Florida-licensed RNs, LPNs, and CNAs, including nursing assessment, vital signs monitoring, medication administration, IV infusion, oxygen therapy, apnea monitoring, tube feedings, wound care, and parent resource counseling for medically complex children from birth to age 21.
• Respiratory Care Services Daily respiratory therapy for medically fragile children, including respiratory assessment, oxygen monitoring and administration, nebulizer treatments, chest physiotherapy (CPT), postural drainage, suctioning, and tracheotomy care.
• Therapy Services On-site pediatric therapy department delivering Physical Therapy (strength, mobility, gross motor development), Occupational Therapy (fine motor, sensory integration, daily living activities), Speech Therapy (communication, feeding, swallowing, AAC devices), and Pet Therapy, with up to 3.5 weekly hours per therapy discipline.
• Education Services On-site education services at the Florida City location, including IEP meetings, learning activities for pre-schoolers, a Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten (VPK) teacher, a Miami-Dade County Public Schools educator for school-aged children, ABA arrangements, and coordination with Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired for visually impaired children.
• Transportation Services Specially modified medical vans that transport medically fragile children between the PPEC center, their homes, and hospital medical programs when families are unable to provide transportation.
• Nutrition Support Pediatric nutrition services based on physician-established nutritional plans, refined through Speech and Occupational Therapy assessments; therapists document recommendations and coordinate with physicians for plan updates.

Quantifiable outcome

• 160 children can be served across two locations
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• National Seating & MobilityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDME (Durable Medical Equipment) vendor working with Physical and Occupational Therapy teams to assist with ordering mobility and positioning equipment including adaptive strollers, wheelchairs, standers, and walkers.
• NumotionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDME vendor partnering with Physical and Occupational Therapy to provide specialized mobility equipment for children.
• Restore OrthoticsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrthotics vendor working with therapy teams for orthotic devices including AFOs (Ankle-Foot Orthoses), SMOs (Supramalleolar Orthoses), and other positioning supports.
• Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually ImpairedminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner providing services when required for children with visual impairments. Listed as a trusted partner for specialist referrals.
• Miami-Dade County Public SchoolsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty educator on site at Florida City location for school-aged children. IEP meetings occur on site with nursing and therapy input.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Nemours Children's Health: Pediatric health system operating children's hospitals and specialty care across the East Coast, with a presence in Florida. Broadly comparable patient population to PATCHES and overlapping referral relationships, though delivered in hospital/clinic settings.
• Encompass Health: Large publicly traded home health and hospice operator with broader adult focus but adjacent pediatric services. Comparable payer mix (Medicaid/Medicare) and skilled-nursing delivery, though predominantly adult.

Direct peers

• Aveanna Healthcare: Largest U.S. pediatric private-duty nursing and home health operator, serving medically complex children in their homes. Highly comparable patient population to PATCHES, differing primarily in setting (in-home vs. center-based day).
• Thrive Skilled Pediatric Care: Pediatric-focused home health agency providing private-duty nursing and skilled therapy for medically complex children. Directly comparable clinical scope and Medicaid funding model to PATCHES.
• Maxim Healthcare Services: National provider of pediatric and adult home health, including private-duty nursing. Competes for the same medically complex pediatric Medicaid population and uses similar skilled-nursing staff models.
• Pediatric Home Service: Pediatric specialty home care provider focused on respiratory, enteral, and skilled nursing for medically complex children. Overlaps with PATCHES on respiratory therapy and complex pediatric nursing.
• Bayada Home Health Care: Major nonprofit pediatric home health and skilled nursing provider serving medically fragile children. Overlaps with PATCHES on clinical services (skilled nursing, respiratory, therapies) and patient profile, with delivery in the home rather than a center.
• BrightStar Care: Franchise-based pediatric and adult home health provider offering skilled nursing and therapy for medically complex children. Comparable patient population to PATCHES, with home-visit delivery.
• Angels of Care Pediatric Home Health: Pediatric private-duty nursing and therapy provider. Serves many of the same medically complex children as PATCHES via in-home skilled nursing, with overlapping payer relationships.

Others

• Option Care Health: Largest U.S. independent provider of home and alternate-site infusion services. Adjacent to PATCHES' pediatric infusion/IV therapy scope but serves primarily adult populations and broader site-of-care delivery.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/PATCHESNURSINGCENTERFORCHILDREN
• Instagraminstagram.com/patches_ppec
• TikToktiktok.com/@patchesppec

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PATCHES PPEC