The History of BAYADA

BAYADA is not just a home health care agency; it’s an institution. Since 1975, BAYADA has been focused on its mission of delivering high-quality care for people in the comfort of their homes, where they want to be.

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These days, the high-quality part of that mission is evidenced by hosting the 2018 Philadelphia Area Simulation Lab Consortium and revamping our annual clinical symposium, White Shoes. But while we always cared about clinical quality, we didn’t always have such a big footprint. Go back a few years, and you’ll see just one office in Philadelphia with one young man at the helm. Doesn’t matter which part of the story you listen in on, though; the mission’s never wavered. That’s one of the many things that make BAYADA so special.

So, even if you don’t know much about us—or about home care, for that matter—this is our story.

In 1975, 27-year-old Mark Baiada started BAYADA Nurses with less than $16,000. His dream was to have his own business and to do some good in the world. The example he set—doing the right thing, putting clients first—was contagious, and people gravitated toward it.

As BAYADA grew, Mark made sure to keep philanthropy in mind, like sponsoring The BAYADA Regatta, the nation’s oldest and largest all-adaptive rowing competition for athletes with disabilities. 2018 marked 37 years of rowers gathering on the banks of the Schuylkill River to compete.

Mark met his future wife, Ann, when she interviewed for a job at BAYADA. She was a rehabilitation nurse—a good one—and he wanted to break into that market. Then, he could have had no idea how much impact Ann would have on nursing at BAYADA. Today, one of her many legacies is BAYADAbility Rehab Solutions, the first and only specialized in-home rehabilitation nursing program of its kind for people with a serious illness, injury, or disability, including spinal cord injuries.

The years went by; BAYADA got bigger and crossed state lines. More offices meant more clients and more employees to take care of them. Mark began to worry that the values BAYADA was started with wouldn’t spread. He didn’t have words yet to explain it to the new employees; he had never had to before. That was just the way people had acted since he started the company: with an eye for quality care and constant empathy. So, in 2002, Mark set out to try and properly document this phenomenon with a series of meetings. Eventually, he wrote it down and named it The BAYADA Way, and it’s the foundation of the work we do every day: a common belief, mission, and values that we share regularly among each other. Now, we hold a discussion, called Key Action of the Week, every Thursday to make sure we’re connecting to our mission, clients, and employees. Once The BAYADA Way was put into words, Mark and Ann went on a bus tour to celebrate and share the achievement. From 2005-2006, they made their way through 15 states to visit all 124 offices.

From our Heroes on the Home Front campaign and “The Storm” commercial; to every iteration of the dove before we found the right BAYADA Home Health Care logo; to loving what we do, the BAYADA brand has grown and changed and modernized without losing the fundamental truth that this work comes from within.

BAYADA is what you get when you realize you can find an employer who appreciates and recognizes the work that you do beyond a paycheck—who, as successful as they may be—is still humble and generous. And that’s evidenced by the recent glassdoor awards for highest-rated CEO and best place to work. We’re even ranked among the top employers for new grads by Forbes.

Mark has made sure to lay the foundation for the future of BAYADA—the care of the clients and the livelihoods of the employees. He can’t live forever, but his legacy can, no matter how far BAYADA’s reach gets—and it’s gone pretty far. There are even offices in Hawaii, Ireland, Germany, and South Korea.

As part of his lasting legacy, on Mark’s 70th birthday, he gave up the company and moved to Chairman. His son, David Baiada, succeeded him as President. Then, both Mark and David began the transition process for BAYADA to become a nonprofit organization, which is unprecedented in the industry. They want the organization to continue providing care for generations to come.

As CEO, David induces the excitement needed to face the future, even with all its unknowns. But it’s easy when you have a strong foundation—and with a focus on clinical excellence, technology, and integrative care, BAYADA will not only be a leader in the home health care industry, but in the healthcare industry as a whole.

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