Community Nurse (Fairhaven), a member of the VNANE network, receives a $25,000 Grant from New England Patriots Foundation

The New England Patriots Foundation awarded a $25,000 grant to Community Nurse, Inc. during a pregame ceremony at the Patriots’ regular season finale on Sunday, Jan. 4 at Gillette Stadium.

The grant was presented in honor of Madeline Cooke, who was named the 2025 Patriots Difference Maker of the Year for her extraordinary service as a hospice volunteer. Cooke continued visiting patients throughout the pandemic, providing companionship and respite to patients and families during an especially isolating time.

The award recognizes Community Nurse, Inc.’s vital role in delivering compassionate, community-based care across the region. We are fortunate to have such high-quality providers in our network.

Visiting Nurse Associations of New England (VNANE) is honored to share that Renee McInnes, CEO of Croi Health (formerly NVNA & Hospice) and Holly Chaffee, President and CEO of Care Central VNA & Hospice were two of only twelve industry executives nationwide to be selected as Executives to Watch.

Both Holly and Renee were recognized for their innovative approaches to payment reform and technology adoption while operating independent non-profit organizations in the current environment. Because of their leadership, their organizations are growing at a time when so many independent home health and hospice agencies are contracting.

We are grateful to have these two leaders as network providers and appreciate their contributions to our industry and to VNANE.

Newsweek and global data intelligence firm Statista introduce America’s Best Home Health Agencies 2026, evaluated on four data sources: quality metrics, peer recommendations, patient experience and accreditations. Quality metrics carried the greatest weight in the scoring model, reflecting the emphasis on clinical outcomes and safety, while survey input from health professionals and patients added valuable perspectives on agency performance. These agencies stood out for their commitment to delivering reliable, evidence-based care in a home setting.

Congratulations to the VNANE Network Members listed in this first Newsweek annual report:

Visiting Nurse Associations of New England (VNANE, Walpole, MA) celebrated 40 years at its recent Annual Meeting on September 24 at the Publick House in Sturbridge, MA.  This year’s business theme was “Creative Solutions in times of Rapid change and Uncertainty” and was followed by lively roundtable discussions on the topics of Virtual and Telehealth vendor relationships, A.I. and Palliative Care.  Donna Devens, Executive Director, announces that the VNANE Member Network has decided to open the network up to eligible For-Profit Home Health and Hospice agency consideration and will provide more detail in the coming months. (1st Photo: Group Picture, 2nd Photo: Board Director, Holly Chaffee, Board Chair, Mike Caselas, 3rd Photo: Care Central VNA & Hospice & VNA of Cape Cod, 4th Photo: VNANE staff & VNA of Cape Cod)

This recognition reflects the compassion, dedication, and excellence our team provides to patients and families every single day. Thank you for trusting us during life’s most important moments. Together, we are raising the standard of hospice care in our community.

We value the voices of our patients’ families. Medicare’s Hospice Family Caregiver Satisfaction Survey gathers feedback on communication, symptom management, emotional and spiritual support, and overall satisfaction. These results drive our commitment to compassionate, high-quality care—work that earned All Care Hospice a 5-Star Rating. This rating reflects trust, reliability, and excellence in end-of-life care.

2024 SHPBest™ CAHPS Hospice Award Recipients – Massachusetts

Premier Performers (Top 5% Nationally):

• Care Central VNA & Hospice, Inc., Gardner
• NVNA and Hospice, Norwell

Sustained Excellence – Five-Year SHPBest™ Honorees

Only a handful of agencies nationwide have earned recognition for five consecutive years.

• NVNA and Hospice – Norwell, MA
  Recognized for both Hospice and Home Health
  2024 Hospice: Premier Performer (Top 5%)
  2024 Home Health: Premier Performer (Top 5%)
• Community Nurse Home Care – Fairhaven, MA
  2024 Home Health: Five-Year SHPBest™ Honoree

These organizations demonstrate an enduring commitment to compassionate, high-quality care that makes a measurable difference in the lives of patients and families.