David Shannon, left, and Drew Meyer of Acceptance Home Health care promise service free of discrimination
DAVID TAFFET | Senior Staff Writer
Taffet@DallasVoice.com
Sometimes good things do come from bad legislation. When Gov. Greg Abbott signed the “Chick-fil-A Bill” into law in 2019, David Shannon took advantage of the opportunity it presented and teamed up with Drew Meyer to create Acceptance Home Health.
The “Chick-fil-A” law forced the city of San Antonio to rent space at the airport to the fast-food outlet despite its history of discrimination against LGBTQ employees and donations to anti-gay organizations. And based on the law’s broad wording, healthcare providers may discriminate against LGBTQ patients or people of another religion — as long as they hide behind the idea of religious liberty.
The day after the bill’s signing, Shannon and Meyer incorporated. Acceptance Home Health was founded on the belief that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect.
Shannon said before he opened his company, he made a home healthcare visit to a woman’s home. Her wife made it loud and clear that she was the patient’s spouse and if he had any problem with that he could leave.
He laughs about it now, remembering how he told her he didn’t have a problem with it. But she had obviously had a different experience with a previous healthcare worker.
On another home visit, the patient’s spouse told him they’d been roommates for 30 years.
“I felt bad that, in her own house, she felt she had to tell me she was a roommate,” he said. “And another patient was very defensive when we came in. I disclosed to her that we were LGBTQ, and her demeanor changed.”
Both Shannon and Meyer commented on how sad it was that someone should have to demand dignity in their own home.
On the website, “gay” isn’t mentioned, at least not in words; they were going for subtle.
Instead, on the home page is a picture of the Dallas skyline lit up in rainbow colors during Pride month. And the corporate logo is a stylized caduceus also using the rainbow.
Meyer said, “We do have patients who see our logo, and you find they’re very much at ease.”
And “no discrimination” goes both ways at Acceptance Home Health. A patient who complained about his health care worker’s race was told, “We’re not the right fit for you. Maybe you should find another agency.”
Both partners agreed that they don’t allow discrimination of any kind against their staff.
The agency is SAGE-certified, which trains staff on how to better communicate with the LGBTQ community.
“When I’m hiring somebody,” Meyer said, “they are aware of what our agency stands for.”
In fact, some of their 50 full-time and part-time employees and contractors sought out the company because of who they are.
Acceptance offers a variety of home healthcare services including skilled nursing, home infusion therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy.
One specialty is post-operative transition care. They said they work quite a bit with Dr. Dany Hanna of the Hanna Gender Center in Frisco. Their care includes everything from tending to post-surgical wounds to simply answering questions.
Another interesting niche they fill is preparing heart transplant patients for surgery. Local transplant work has become so routine, Meyer said, people are up and out quickly and little aftercare is needed.
And caring for aging people with HIV who have been on meds for years, they said, is “an added layer to the care we provide. Others wouldn’t touch them. It’s just not a big deal to us.”
Shannon said drawing blood from someone with HIV used to be something healthcare workers feared. But, “Our clinicians know what they’re walking into, and we make sure they’re comfortable,” he said.
HIV is viewed as just one of a variety of viruses and other ailments they see every day.
“We’re not there to judge,” he said. “We’re here for the patients. They’re our main focus.”
Randy Walker has been using their services for more than seven years. He said their physical therapists and nurses got him through a heart transplant and cancer.
Baylor referred Acceptance to Walker. “That’s how I got hold of them, and I’ve never let go because they’re so good,” he said.
At times, Walker has needed as many as four visits a week but he’s doing well now and currently only sees them once a week.
SAGE has done studies about older gays and lesbians going back into the closet to receive healthcare safely. Meyer and Shannon want people in the community to know there’s an LGBTQ choice, and hiding who you are shouldn’t be necessary to receive quality healthcare.
While they’re managing an expanding work force specializing in a variety of healthcare disciplines, they find enough time to continue seeing patients themselves. Shannon is a therapist and Meyer is a nurse.
“Neither one of us wants to give it up,” Meyer said.
And it keeps them in touch with what’s going on out in the field.
For more information, visit AcceptanceHH.com or call 214-257-8585.
Acceptance home healthcare is remarkable. David Shannon was my physical therapy after a shoulder replacement. He was caring about my pain but helped me push through it. I would use them now if they had a 24 hour service and when they get that 24 hour service, trust me, I will sign up with them immediately. I wish them good luck because they are very confident, caring, and well trained. Their technicians and physical therapist in my opinion are some of the best in our area. I don’t think you can do wrong by calling and talking to someone in the office and see how they could help you.