Federation Architecture
co-op.care is designed to replicate. The care operating system is built once. Every community that deploys it owns their own cooperative — governed by their workers, accountable to their families, connected to every other node through portable care-hour credits.
Boulder, Colorado · Node 001 · Operating now
The Buurtzorg principle
They did it by separating the protocol (how to deliver care) from the operator (who delivers it). The protocol was shared. The operators were independent teams who owned their own work.
co-op.care is the same model, with one addition: the protocol is software. CareOS, the Omaha System–to–FHIR mapping, the physician attestation layer, the care-hour credit ledger — built once, licensed at cost to every independent cooperative that wants to use it.
Each node is a fully independent cooperative. Its workers own it. Its families govern it. co-op.care Technologies LCA provides the infrastructure and holds the protocol license — not the equity in anyone else's cooperative.
How other "care platforms" scale
How co-op.care scales
How the network is structured
co-op.care Technologies LLC · Colorado LCA · Protocol Layer
Holds: CareOS · HarnessHealth attestation layer · chanio memory layer · Omaha-to-FHIR mapping · Brand · Solidarity Fund
Issues: Protocol License + Federation Membership to each independent node
Node 001 · Boulder, CO
Operating now
$59/mo membership
LMN revenue · companion care
CareOS · Josh Emdur DO
Node 002 · TBD
Netherlands or Canada
Local cooperative form
Local physician oversight
CareOS · local board
Node N · Open
Your community
Worker-owned cooperative
Local pricing, local governance
Shared protocol
What the protocol provides
CareOS — the operating system
CareOS provides every function a care cooperative needs: family intake, living profile, care plan, ambient scribe, care-hour ledger, LMN generation, physician oversight workflow, and Omaha System–to–FHIR mapping. Built once. Deployed to every node. Hospital-grade data from day one.
Care-hour credits — the loyalty layer
A caregiver who earns 100 hours of credit in Boulder can redeem them for care in Amsterdam. The care-hour credit is the network's mutual aid layer — not a currency, not a security, not taxable income. It is one hour of care given = one hour of care received, tracked across the whole network.
Solidarity Fund — the safety net
3% of every node's Gross Member Revenue flows into the Solidarity Fund. Any node facing a cash shortfall — less than 60 days of operating reserves — can apply for an interest-free solidarity loan. This is the Mondragon mechanism: a financial backstop owned collectively by the network, available to any node that needs it.
How we get from here to everywhere
Now · Live
Phase 1 — Prove the model in Boulder
The Boulder node is operating. LMN revenue is live. Companion care is in pre-launch. The goal of Phase 1 is to prove that a worker-owned cooperative can deliver better outcomes at lower turnover than the extractive agency model — and generate enough data to make the case to health systems and the next node's founding team.
90–180 days
Phase 2 — Protocol License ready for Node 2
The Protocol License Agreement and Federation Membership Agreement are drafted and under attorney review. Once executed, any community cooperative can operate CareOS under the co-op.care brand, with data portability guaranteed and Solidarity Fund access built in.
Year 2
Phase 3 — First international replication
Node 2 forms its own local cooperative (Netherlands Coöperatie U.A. or Quebec Coopérative de travail), licenses CareOS, trains its founding caregivers, and begins serving its first families. Care-hour credits from Boulder are redeemable in Node 2. The Solidarity Fund begins aggregating from two nodes.
Year 3+
Phase 4 — The cooperative owns the protocol
At 7+ nodes, co-op.care Technologies LLC splits into two entities: the Protocol Co-op (owned by all nodes, holds the IP) and the Boulder Operator (a peer node like all others). No single community owns the infrastructure that serves everyone else. The founder exits via §1042 cooperative rollover, deferring capital gains on the IP contribution indefinitely.
For community organizers
The protocol does the heavy lifting. What you bring is the community — and the conviction that the people who do this work deserve to own it.
Node formation checklist
4 founding caregivers committed to the cooperative model and willing to operate as worker-owners from day one. They don't need experience with cooperatives — they need to believe the work is worth owning.
20 community expressions of interest — families or individuals in your area who want this kind of care. Captured via co-op.care/build adapted for your city, or a community meeting with sign-in sheet.
A local physician willing to serve as medical director and review AI-generated Letters of Medical Necessity. We can introduce you to Josh Emdur DO as a bridge while you find your permanent local physician.
Local cooperative formation — a cooperative entity under your local law (Colorado LCA template is provided; adapt with local counsel). Cost: $50 state filing + $3,000–$15,000 in legal fees depending on jurisdiction.
Protocol License + Federation Membership Agreement — two documents executed with co-op.care Technologies LLC. Setup fee: $5,000. Ongoing: 3% of GMR to the Solidarity Fund. Templates are ready.
2/3 vote of existing Federation Members approving your admission. For the first three nodes, the Federation Host approves directly.
The protocol is ready. The community is the variable.
Everything else — the software, the legal templates, the physician network, the Solidarity Fund — is already built. What we need is a founding team in your city who believes the people who do this work deserve to own it.
Formation documents
Every document needed to form a node, license the protocol, and join the federation. All drafts are pending attorney review before first execution.
co-op.care Technologies LLC
Colorado LCA, filed March 10, 2026. The protocol-layer entity and Boulder operator node. Entity number on file with Colorado SOS.
Amended and Restated Operating Agreement
Three member classes. One member, one vote. Patronage allocation by labor hours. 30/70 cash/retained equity split. 7-year revolving redemption cycle.
Protocol License Agreement
Non-exclusive license for CareOS, HarnessHealth, chanio, Omaha-FHIR mapping, and brand. $5,000 setup + 3% GMR. Full data portability on termination.
Federation Membership Agreement
One node, one vote. Solidarity Fund access. Care-hour credit cross-node protocol. Path to Phase 4 Federation LCA formation.
Articles of Organization Template
Colorado ULCAA filing template for future federation nodes. Adapt with local counsel. $50 state filing fee. Post-formation checklist included.
Investor Briefing
Full briefing for potential Founding Contributor Members and strategic partners. Two investment paths: contribution-based FCM equity and strategic partnership.
All documents are working drafts pending attorney review. No execution, investment, or node admission until counsel has completed review. These documents do not constitute legal advice.
The protocol is ready. The documents are drafted. The question is whether there are four people in your city who believe the workers who give this care should own what they build.
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