DeKALB – Everything and nothing changed Jan. 1 for Lisa Hardcastle.

When the new year came, Hardcastle was still the director of a home care division, but it was no longer for the DeKalb County Health Department. Instead, Hardcastle assumed the same position under the KishHealth System banner, completing a transfer of the program that had been discussed for months.

Some of the 16 home care employees laid off by the county, including Hardcastle, were hired by KishHealth System to create a seamless transition for the roughly 70 home care patients in the program. Hardcastle said it has been an exciting process moving from an agency with fewer than 100 employees to an organization with more than 1,500 employees and immense resources.