Rebuilding Care with Heart: The Story Behind Accesso Care’s Co-Founder, Jimmy
Accesso Care’s Co-Founder, Jimmy
From Crisis to Care: The Story Behind How Accesso Care Was Built
When the pandemic exposed the deep cracks in the American healthcare system, Jimmy Zhang didn’t just see a workforce shortage. He saw a culture in collapse.
With 16 years of experience in long-term care, Jimmy remembered an era when caregiving was a vocation rooted in deep respect. But as the pandemic hit, that culture vanished. Nationwide, nearly 250,000 long-term care employees walked away. Turnover skyrocketed, and patient care suffered as the system strained to its breaking point.
For Jimmy, this wasn't a business problem—it was personal. Watching the elders he had served for years lose their support system demanded action.
The Cost of Learning
In 2022, Jimmy founded Accesso Care to bridge the CNA shortage. The initial strategy was simple: remove the financial barrier. He invested heavily, covering upfront tuition and providing stipends for new trainees.
The results were a reality check. Most students struggled with licensing, and even fewer stayed in the workforce long-term. It was a discouraging, financially risky failure—but it provided a vital lesson: Capital alone doesn’t create caregivers.
The Shift: From Staffing to Sociology
In 2024, the vision clicked into place when Dr. Esther Castillo, a sociologist and expert in human behavior, joined the team. Together, they realized that retention isn't driven by a paycheck alone, but by trust, dignity, and community.
They pivoted to focus on immigrant communities—a demographic they understood deeply—creating structured pathways that offered more than just a job. They built a culture rooted in professional standards and emotional stability.
Intentional Investment
Today, Accesso Care has evolved from a two-person idea into a collaborative powerhouse. While Jimmy focuses on building strategic partnerships, the team drives operations, research, and workforce development. Jimmy is the first to admit that building a company is harder than he imagined, and that leadership is about shared purpose rather than individual credit.
Accesso Care is no longer just a home care agency. It is a proof of concept: when you invest in the dignity of the caregiver, our elders receive better care. By rebuilding the pipeline with integrity, they are proving that the system can be fixed—one person at a time.
