by John Dowd
Partners in Home Care was recently named the Bitterroot Chamber of Commerce’s 2026 Business of the Year, an honor leaders with the organization say recognizes nearly four decades of service to families throughout the Bitterroot Valley and western Montana.
The organization received the award Aug. 21 during the chamber’s first fall awards ceremony. In previous years, the chamber has announced its business awards in the spring.
Dyanna Canavan, strategic growth and development manager for Partners in Home Care, said the organization has built strong relationships throughout the Bitterroot Valley during its nearly 40 years of service.
The organization serves communities as far north as Elmo and as far south as Sula. “For nearly 40 years, we’ve been walking alongside Bitterroot families in their most important moments,” Canavan said.
Partners in Home Care was notified within the past couple of months that it had been selected for the award. Corin Schneider, CEO of Partners in Home Care, said she was “incredibly excited and honored” to receive the recognition. “There are so many incredible businesses throughout the Bitterroot,” Schneider said. “To be selected from them, it’s an honor.”
The organization will mark its 40th year in 2027 and plans to celebrate the milestone. For Schneider, the award highlights the work employees have done in their communities over decades of consistent service. “People know we are going to be there,” she said.
Partners in Home Care serves six counties in western Montana: Lake, Mineral, Granite, Sanders, Ravalli and Missoula. Five of those counties are considered rural. “We serve areas other agencies just don’t go,” Schneider said.
That commitment to reaching rural communities is part of what Schneider said makes the organization’s work meaningful. “That means a lot to people, to know we are going to be there,” she said.
Partners in Home Care has about 220 employees, all of whom Schneider said are committed to providing care wherever it is needed. “It takes very special clinicians,” Schneider said, noting the commitment required to travel to remote communities. “They are the heart and soul of Partners in Home Care,” she said. “When you’re hitting those dirt roads and the snow starts to fly, it’s a commitment.”
The organization’s clinicians collectively drive more than 1 million miles each year to provide care in patients’ homes. Last year, Partners in Home Care recorded more than 100,000 visits, Schneider said. “We make a significant impact to the communities we serve,” she said.
Schneider described the organization’s approach as “highly trained clinicians, providing highly professional care.”
Beyond medical care, Partners in Home Care also provides bereavement services through support groups that are available to anyone who needs them, not only former patients and their families. “We engage with our communities,” Canavan said.
One of those community events is the organization’s annual Tree of Life ceremony in Missoula. The event is held at the Missoula Children’s Theatre, 200 N. Adams St., and honors people who have died while also providing an opportunity for community members to gather during the holiday season. This year’s Tree of Life ceremony is scheduled for Dec. 8 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. It will be the 39th annual event. The Tree of Life season begins after Thanksgiving and continues through the new year.
Partners in Home Care has also recently received recognition through Missoula Votes, earning honors for best hospice and palliative care and best home health.
Schneider said the Chamber of Commerce award is meaningful because it reflects recognition from the same communities Partners in Home Care works to support. Schneider thanked the chamber and the broader community for recognizing the organization’s work. “We feel supported by the community that we try to support, and that is a powerful thing,” she said. “It feels good to be seen and to be recognized.”
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