“There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.”
~Leonard Cohen
Take a moment to consider your surroundings. Do you feel safe? Do you have access to health care and grocery stores? Does your home support you, both physically and mentally?
This Mental Health Month, challenge yourself to look at your world and how different factors can affect your mental health. Where a person is born, lives, learns, works, plays, and gathers, as well as their economic stability and social connections, are part of what is called “social determinants of health” (SDOH). The more these factors work in your favor means you are more likely to have better mental well-being. However, when it seems like the world is working against you, your mental health can suffer.
While many parts of your environment can be out of your control, there are steps you can take to change your space and protect your well-being.
• Work toward securing safe and stable housing: This can be challenging due to finances, age, and other reasons, but there are a few things you can try, such as reaching out to state/local agencies to secure housing, removing safety hazards in the home, or finding another space (such as a community center or friend’s home) where you can get the comfort you are missing at home.
• Focus on your home: Consider keeping your space tidy, sleep-friendly, and well-ventilated. Surround yourself with items that help you feel calm and positive.
• Create bonds with your neighborhood and community: Get to know the people living around you, join or start neighbors-helping-neighbors groups and support local businesses to challenge gentrification.
• Connect with nature: Hike in a forest, sit in a city park, bring a plant inside, or keep the shades open to absorb natural light.
If you’re taking steps to improve your surroundings but are still struggling with your mental health, you may be experiencing signs of a mental health condition. Take a free, private screening at mhascreening.org to help you figure out what is going on and determine next steps.
The world around us can be both positive and negative – bringing joy and sadness, hope and anxiety. Learn more with Mental Health America’s 2023 Mental Health Month toolkit, which provides free, practical resources, such as how an individual’s environment impacts their mental health, suggestions for making changes to improve and maintain mental well-being, and how to seek help for mental health challenges. Go to mhanational.org/may to learn more.
Memorial Day honors those who have died while serving in the United States military. On this date, Bio-One Columbus is honoring those who have died serving our country and protecting our freedom. We are grateful for their sacrifice.
Did you know?
Bio-One of Columbus is a leader in crime scene cleanup and biohazard decontamination services in Columbus. Our technicians are highly skilled and have been trained on OSHA's safety standards. Bio-One of Columbus continues to be the most passionate and caring company in the cleaning services industry.
For more information, visit us at https://bioonecolumbus.com/
Twitter: @BioOneColumbus LinkedIn: Bio-One Columbus Facebook: Bio-One Columbus Instagram: Bio-One Columbus
“In the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”
~Abraham Lincoln
February is National Senior Independence Month. During this month, we celebrate those older adults who are successfully living in our communities and focus on how to preserve that independence long-term. Successful and healthy aging “in place” requires community engagement & assistance that we all can provide to our seniors.
Risks to losing independence in late life include limited mobility and social isolation. Older adults in the community may struggle to keep up with cleaning due to health issues or hide problems with hygiene due to shame or embarrassment, ultimately resulting in a decline of well-being and loss of independence.
Here are some simple tips to successfully age in place and keep a home safe:
Decluttering is a significant challenging in late life because of the sentimental attachment to objects, fatigue preventing the person from deep cleaning, fear of change, or undiagnosed mental or physical health issues. Hiring a professional to assist with this process can reduce the fear and anxiety as well as reduce the physical burden on the person.
If you know an older adult struggling to maintain their independence due to hoarding behaviors, pile-up of gross filth, or clutter that impairs mobility, call Bio-One Columbus today. We can remediate home spaces to be livable and support seniors to maintain independence for as long as possible.
Ohio has the 18th largest population of adults over 65 in the United States! Other informative statistics include:
The Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging supports healthy aging in the community. They plan, fund, & deliver services to keep older adults and those with disabilities safe and independent in their home. Services include assistance in finding home health care, transportation, meals, and homemaking. They also provide educational programs for caregivers and the public. For more information, visit their website at COAAA
In 2022 Bio-One Columbus helped a total of 223 families and businesses. It’s a number that reflects a staggering amount of need for services here in our community. When I talk about that level of need, I’m often asked, “What’s your most common job?” While the scope of our remediation work ranges from trauma scenes to hoarding remediation and beyond, the most common call I consistently receive is from an older adult (or a family member of an older adult).
The situations are invariably similar in their presentation. The resident has some degree of physical disability, often paired with depression, and the situation in the home has progressed beyond their ability to recover without outside help. The home may be full of trash that was too heavy for the resident to get to a proper receptacle. Pets may not have been taken outside for days or longer, and litter boxes may not have been changed in weeks, months or even years. The end result is an environment that is not safe for the resident. Shame makes it nearly impossible to ask for help once this cycle has begun.
This is where Bio-One makes a significant difference. Health, safety and dignity are at the core of what we strive to restore for our clients in these situations. My advice: Reach out for help early and often. There’s no shame in asking for help when you need it. There are resources in place to help.
Bio-One of Columbus is a leader in crime scene cleanup and biohazard decontamination services in Columbus. Our technicians are highly skilled and have been trained on OSHA's safety standards. Bio-One of Columbus continues to be the most passionate and caring company in the cleaning services industry. For more information, visit us at https://www.bioonecolumbus.com/
Twitter: @BioOneColumbus LinkedIn: Bio-One Columbus Facebook: Bio-One Columbus
Inc. Magazine Reveals Annual List of America’s Fastest-Growing Private Companies—the Inc. 5000
Denver, August 17, 2021 – Inc. magazine today revealed that Bio-One, Inc. is No. 2,476 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy’s most dynamic segment—its independent small businesses. Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000.
“We’re honored to be recognized in the Inc. 5000,” said Brian Brinegar, president of Bio-One Inc. “The ranking is a direct reflection of our business model, and Bio-One’s unique ability to consistently deliver essential services with care and compassion.”
Not only have the companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but this year’s list also proved especially resilient and flexible given 2020’s unprecedented challenges. Among the 5,000, the average median three-year growth rate soared to 543 percent, and median revenue reached $11.1 million. Together, those companies added more than 610,000 jobs over the past three years.
Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are featured in the September issue of Inc., which will be available on newsstands on August 20.
“The 2021 Inc. 5000 list feels like one of the most important rosters of companies ever compiled,” says Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. “Building one of the fastest-growing companies in America in any year is a remarkable achievement. Building one in the crisis we’ve lived through is just plain amazing. This kind of accomplishment comes with hard work, smart pivots, great leadership, and the help of a whole lot of people.”
About Bio-One Inc.
Bio-One Inc. is the first crime and trauma scene cleaning franchise, operating in over 39 states with 117 locations. Bio-One is committed to providing excellent service in recovery and suicide cleanup, homicide cleanup, hoarding situations, junk removal, deceased animal recovery, feces removal, pest and rodent droppings and much more. Each office is independently owned and operated by a member of the local community. For more information about becoming a Bio-One franchisee, visit bioonecolumbus.com.
More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000
Methodology
Companies on the 2021 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2017 to 2020. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2017. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2020. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2017 is $100,000; the minimum for 2020 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to three decimal places. There was one tie on this year’s Inc. 5000. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.’s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at https://www.inc.com/inc5000.
About Inc. Media
The world’s most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including web sites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Vision Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com.
For more information on the Inc. 5000 Vision Conference, visit https://conference.inc.com/.
Bio-One teams across the U.S. answer calls to help their communities and remediate a variety of scenes. In our new blog series, we'd like to bring you into the Bio-One world by sharing stories of the unique and important work we do for local communities.
Here is Week 7 of our Bio-One Weekly Wrap-Up.
Thank You to the Thin Gold Line
The second week of April is a time to celebrate and thank telecommunications professionals who dedicate their lives to serving the public. Often called the thin gold line, 911 dispatchers are true heroes behind the scenes.
Coast to coast, Bio-One teams found fun and unique ways to recognize the Thin Gold Line.
Bio-One Helps Homeless Man with Vehicle Clean Up
This week, News San Diego reported "Homeless man's story inspires San Diego mom to enlist community's help", featuring Rene Flohr and Nicki Chipp-Flohr, owners of Bio-One. The Bio-One duo spotted a NextDoor post asking for anyone who could help 79 year-old, Les, who had been living out of his vehicle and was recently diagnosed with skin cancer. His vehicle was floor to ceiling full of items, and Bio-One was ready to help clean and disinfect the vehicle so it could be sold or donated.
In a message to Bio-One owners, Nicki said, "I am very proud of what we are doing to help someone. I thought you’d all appreciate it, since we live the Bio-One motto of #helpfirstbusinesssecond." We couldn't agree more!
Read the entire story on News San Diego.
A "Week in the Life" at Bio-One
The Bio-One team in Tuscon, AZ had a busy week with work ranging from COVID-19 disinfections, mold remediations, bird dropping clean up, medical waste disposal, suicide remediation, and more.
If you've ever wondered what it takes to be a crime and trauma scene cleaner, we recommend read through the Tuscon team's Weekly Wrap-Up!
Bio-One teams across the U.S. answer calls to help their communities and remediate a variety of scenes. In our new blog series, we'd like to bring you into the Bio-One world by sharing stories of the unique and important work we do for local communities.
Here is Week 6 of our Bio-One Weekly Wrap-Up.
Cherokee County Biohazard Remediation
Lives in the Atlanta area were forever altered on Tuesday, March 16, 2021 after a shooting spree at three metro Atlanta spas left eight people, including six Asian women, dead within the span of 45 minutes.
Our hearts and sympathies are with everyone impacted by this tragedy.
Two weeks after the tragic events in Atlanta took place, Bio-One answered the call to remediate the spa in Cherokee County. Led by Michele O'Brien and Rebecca Phillips, the Bio-One team provided a quick response and thorough decontamination. Read more in our recent blog post.
Tragedy in Rock Hill, South Carolina
As details from the tragedy in Rock Hill, South Carolina unfold, one Bio-One team paid special tribute to the victims, first responders and other local law enforcement officials. Bio-One owners, John and Jen Symons, live in Rock Hill and experienced the police response first-hand. "It's a tight-knit community. We just can't believe it," said Jen Symons.
Their team is currently in communication with local law enforcement, and activity supporting neighbors through this difficult time.
COVID-19 Disinfection at Dojo
This week, we're spotlighting the Atlantic City team where they are regularly disinfecting Ganguly's Mixed Martial Arts. According to Bio-One owner, Victor Russomanno, "We are contracted with a local martial arts studio to disinfect them weekly. In addition to their in-house protocol, we use an electrostatic sprayer to ensure maximum coverage and protection, to ensure those who are training are staying safe through our efforts."
Across the United States, Bio-One teams actively disinfect local businesses, government buildings, and residents in the fight against coronavirus. Learn more about our COVID-19 disinfection process.
