Total Home Health gets second act

CHICAGO - Glenn Kosirog came full circle on Nov. 20 when he helped to host a grand reopening for Total Home Health's location here.

Earlier this year, Kosirog sold Kosirog Rexall's pharmacy business to Walgreens and its DME business to Total Home Health, where he stayed on as retail manager and where he continued his mission of helping underserved moms through its breastfeeding division.

“We wanted to continue with that legacy of making a difference in Chicago with these moms,” said Kosirog. “I was raised in Chicagoland and my main focus has always been serving the Humboldt and Wicker Park areas.”

In addition to breastfeeding pumps and supplies, Total Home Health now offers sleep and respiratory services, along with DME, enteral nutrition and incontinence supplies. It's a preferred provider with most commercial insurances, and also accepts Medicare and Medicaid.

The motivation for specializing in breast pumps and supplies came after Kosirog's fifth child, a daughter, was born with Down syndrome and needed surgery. He learned that, while new moms usually have access to hospital “floor pumps,” that's not always the case, especially if the baby is born with health issues requiring a longer stay, says Kosirog

“We decided we wanted to be able to help moms (in these situations) be able to get pumps,” he said. “We felt something good was going to come out of that.”

Although the Affordable Care Act requires insurers to pay for breast pumps, Illinois Medicaid allows only one pump every five years. Other plans may also make them harder to obtain, says Kosirog.

“That's one of the biggest hurdles to overcome,” he said. “Ninety-nine percent of the time, the moms will say they've had a pump and we'll have to tell them, 'Well, you don't qualify but see what we can do (to find) another solution.'”

As part of the reopening, Total Home Health showcased a newly remodeled location, but one that pays homage to the original 63-year-old Kosirog Rexall.

“Total has preserved some of the history by decorating with pictures and antiques that tell of (our) history,” said Kosirog. “We've set up sleep rooms and it's just a warm place.”

So far, the response to the new store has been positive, says the 60-year-old Kosirog, who says he's just happy that his family's legacy will continue on even after he retires.

“I don't want to spend the rest of my life chasing the dollar—I want to make sure I am making a difference,” he said. “(Total Home Health) is allowing me to do that and the money is coming.”