Des Moines-based EveryStep, a nonprofit health care services organization with operations in 47 Iowa counties, announced that it will implement a $15 hourly wage for its employees, effective immediately. The change will increase wages as much as nearly $4 per hour for some employees, and benefit 14 types of roles within the organization. In all, 44 employees will immediately benefit from the increase; more than half of those employees work as hospice and home care aides, the organization said. “We are constantly looking for ways to improve the lives of our employees, and we recognize that the first step to providing excellent care to our clients and patients is to make sure our employees are taken care of as well,” said Tray Wade, EveryStep president and CEO. According to the advocacy group Iowa CareGivers, in 2016 the average wage for entry-level to experienced direct care positions ranged from $9.01 to $13.22 per hour. EveryStep, formerly known as HCI Care Services & Visiting Nurse Services of Iowa, provides care programs to more than 63,000 Iowans.