RVNA, the Ridgefield Visiting Nurse Association, was recently awarded a Readers Choice Award for “Best In-Home Care” by TownVibe/Ridgefield Magazine. The Readers Choice Awards, introduced this year, reflect the votes of over 800 TownVibe/Ridgefield Magazine readers, who weighed in on categories ranging from food and drink to beauty, shopping, and health.

 “RVNA has been serving Ridgefield for over 100 years,” said Theresa Santoro, RVNA President and CEO (in photo, at front center), “and we’re proud and grateful to still be going strong in our home community as well as the many other Connecticut towns we serve.  The opinions and feedback of our patients and customers are of utmost importance to us.” 

About RVNA

Founded in 1914, RVNA is an accredited non-profit Medicare-certified home healthcare agency that also supports public health and safety, and promotes the highest quality of life. RVNA provides compassionate care to all individuals, whether young or old, through a continuum of care that encompasses health care at home and in the community. RVNA also provides home health aides and companionship through a non-medical subsidiary called HomeCare by RVNA, and provides out-patient physical therapy and other rehabilitation therapies through Rehab by RVNA.

 To Contact RVNA

Call RVNA at 203-438-5555. Visit RVNA at www.ridgefieldvna.org.

Two Boston Area Visiting Nurse Organizations Set To Merge

Contact:  Bill Connors, CEO, GMVN&CH

BConnors@gmvna.com

(781) 396.2633

Medford, MA – February 22, 2017 – Two venerable non-profit home care agencies serving a combined 52 cities and towns in eastern Massachusetts have announced their intent to merge.

The plan to combine Greater Medford VNA, founded in 1900 in Medford, and Visiting Nurse & Community Health, founded in 1898 in Arlington, is currently under review by state regulators. Leaders of the two agencies anticipate that the merger will be approved on or before February 28, 2017.

The name of the merged organization will be Greater Medford Visiting Nurse & Community Health. The merged agency will consolidate its operations and administrative staff at 37 Broadway in Arlington and will maintain its presence in Medford by opening a new satellite office there.

Bill Connors, president of GMVNA, will serve as Chief Executive Officer of the new entity. The management teams and boards of both organizations will be combined to guide the new organization forward. The merger will create a staff of nearly 200 full-time and part-time employees.

“This move to join forces represents a perfect strategic fit for both agencies, and will result in an organization that is better able to compete in today’s healthcare marketplace,” said Connors. “The added size and depth of resources will allow us to bring new levels of care to the patients, their families and the communities we both serve – a mission these two agencies have always had in common.”

Connors went on to list the complementary strengths that brought the two organizations together after almost two years of exploratory discussions. GMVNA has a growing private pay practice and a robust clinical coordination system. VNCH has significant rehabilitation therapy capabilities and an established hospice program, he said.

Connors expects an expanding private pay market and greater demand for hospice services to provide most of the combined agency’s growth over the next several years.

“This merger will broaden the scope of our service menu,” said Louise A Mallette, chairwoman of GMVNA, “and will ensure better continuity of care and even more comfort to our patients and their families.”

“We are delighted to have found a merger partner with such complementary strengths,” said Jane Puffer, chairwoman of VNCH. “Together, these two organizations will continue their 100-plus year commitment to provide the very best in community-based care.”

About the merging organizations

Greater Medford VNA and Visiting Nurse & Community Health share a strong and long-standing reputation for quality homecare services in the 52 eastern Massachusetts communities they serve.

The organizations provide skilled nursing, rehabilitation, home health aide, social work, hospice and other specialty services through dedicated, professional staffs.  Services are covered under programs sponsored by Medicare and Medicaid, as well as through commercial health insurance and patients’ private resources.

For further comment and analysis, contact:

• Tim Burgers, Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts

tburgers@thinkhomecare.org            (617) 482-8830

• Ed Devaney, President and CEO, Visiting Nurse Associations of New England

edevaney@vnane.org                         (508) 480-0060

Cities and towns to be served by Greater Medford Visiting Nurse & Community Health:

Name                          Population                                                     Continue reading →

                                                                                       

                                                                   Bringing Care Home Since 1920

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NVNA and Hospice

Contact:  Joan Wright, NVNA and Hospice

781.610.1422   jwright@nvna.org

 NVNA AND HOSPICE ANNOUNCES LEADERSHIP CHANGE

Meg Doherty to retire after 30 years as CEO

 Just weeks before stepping down as CEO of Norwell VNA (NVNA) and Hospice, Meg Doherty was honored by the Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts as the 2016 Home Care Champion.  The award caps nearly 30 years of dedication to home healthcare, and prompted a standing ovation by home healthcare leaders from across the state and region at last week’s annual meeting. Nominated by the NVNA and Hospice senior leadership team, Meg was cited for her advocacy, commitment, and leadership in home care.

Meg turns over the CEO reins of NVNA and Hospice at the end of this month to Renee McInnes. In announcing the change in leadership at the non-profit agency, Tom O’Mara, President of the Board of Directors notes that Meg’s award as Home Care Champion follows decades of honors and accolades accumulated by the CEO.

“Meg Doherty has always been a visionary. Her intelligence, business acumen, and most importantly her dedication and commitment to ensuring every patient and family’s comfort, has always been her primary focus,” says Tom. “I know she will continue to promote innovative and creative growth within the healthcare profession. We have been so fortunate to have been the recipient of her expertise.”

Meg has led the non-profit agency since the mid-1980s when it was a one-room operation in Norwell’s town hall to its present status as a multi-million dollar operation serving over 27 communities on the South Shore. She oversaw the development of a hospice division, private duty company, and the opening of the first non-profit hospice residence on the South Shore as well as the absorption of the only Cancer Support Community chapter in New England to prevent it from closing. Meg’s recognition as a healthcare leader regionally and nationally has been noted through ten consecutive HomeCare Elite awards as well as being named last year as one of the Top 100 Women leaders in business in Massachusetts.

In recognizing Meg’s contributions, the board also announced that Renee McInnes will succeed Meg as CEO at NVNA and Hospice. Selected after an extensive executive search, Renee has had wide-ranging experience with the agency, most recently as Vice President of Business Development, as

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well as in other external clinical arenas. Her clinical experience encompasses acute care (Tufts Medical), geriatric care management, home care case management, and several nurse leadership roles. Renee launched the private duty division (NVNA Works) of the agency in 2010, which she directed for two years.

“Renee McInnes brings commitment, expertise and respect for the mission of the NVNA,” O’Mara says. “Renee is an accomplished professional whose clinical, managerial and business skills have contributed to the success of the Agency. We look forward to her leadership as the future growth of the Agency continues.”

Renee will take over leadership of the agency this summer. “I have very big shoes to fill,” says Renee in deference to Meg Doherty. “But I share Meg’s enthusiasm and passion for home care and its necessary place at the healthcare table. I’m looking forward to leading the next chapter for NVNA and Hospice.”

About NVNA and Hospice

Founded in 1920, NVNA and Hospice is the only independent, non-profit home health care and hospice agency serving the South Shore. NVNA and Hospice has been named a Home Care Elite Top Agency in the United States for ten consecutive years; qualifying in the Top100 for the past two. The agency’s mission of Neighbors Helping Neighbors continues as it serves nearly 600 patients a day, and offers an average of 45 free community health screenings, educational programs and support groups each month in more than 27 communities on the South Shore. In addition to its home care and hospice services, NVNA and Hospice owns and operates the Pat Roche Hospice Home of Hingham; NVNA Works, a non-profit private duty homecare division; and Cancer Support Community – MA South Shore, a non-profit providing support, education, and programs for those impacted by cancer. For more information, call NVNA and Hospice at 781-659-2342 or visit www.nvna.org.

 

 

One of VNANE’s 5 Star Clinically Integrated Network Members Porchlight Home Care continues to Innovate!  Read more on Move In Time program for Western Mass seniors…

 

 

Porchlight VNA/Home Care Given Green Light for Move In Time Program in the Berkshires

Central Berkshire Fund Supports Seniors Getting More Active- ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Lee, MA- Porchlight VNA/Home Care (Porchlight) will begin serving the Berkshires with its falls prevention program, Move In Time, with the support of a grant from the Central Berkshire Fund of the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation.  The grant in the amount of $6,000 was awarded to engage seniors living in the specific Hilltowns of Western Massachusetts in 2016. The Hilltowns included in the grant are: Becket, Cummington, Dalton, Hinsdale, Peru, Washington, and Windsor.

 

Through a competitive process, Porchlight’s program was chosen as it closely met the guidelines and mission of the Central Berkshire Fund with its focus on health care in the Berkshires.  Move In Time was co-created by Porchlight’s Certified Occupational Therapist and Director of Rehabilitation Services, Lynn Proulx.  Proulx will lead the six-week course once a week with the same group of seniors participating throughout the entire series. Cumulative learning and activities achieve skills in balance, risk-assessment, and strengthening to prevent falls.  Of note, falls have become an increasingly deadly issue for the United States’ aging population and also greatly affect those in the Berkshires.  Move In Time will eliminate risk factors for falls and empower seniors to remain independent and lead fulfilling lives.

About Porchlight VNA/Home Care With the 2014 merger of Porchlight VNA/Home Care (formerly Lee Regional VNA) with Chicopee VNA and Great to Be Home Care, we have over 100 years of providing compassionate, exceptional care.  Porchlight VNA/Home Care is a unique, comprehensive resource for all home health needs, including: skilled nursing, therapies, and 24-hour care.  Our offices are located in Lee and Chicopee and our services cover all of Berkshire, Hampshire, and Hampden Counties. As a free-standing non-profit, we also serve as the Board of Health for several towns in Berkshire County and regularly conduct community education and engagement programs to support our mission.  We are the only Western Massachusetts agency rated five stars by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.  We received several HomeCare Elite™ Awards of Excellence and Massachusetts Department of Public Health deficiency-free surveys demonstrating our commitment to quality and safety.  Porchlight VNA/Home Care is simply “Life As You Know It ^® “.

About Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation For over 27 years, Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation has built stronger communities and helped donors make a difference through charitable giving in northwest Litchfield County, CT; Berkshire County, MA; and Columbia County and northeast Dutchess County, NY. Each year, the foundation distributes over $8 million through grants and scholarships to nonprofits and individuals in the arts and education, health and human services and environmental protection. Berkshire Taconic is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity. You can make a difference. We can help.

01/11/16

Contact: Holly Chaffee

Phone: (413)281-1068 Email: hchaffee@porchlighthomecare.org

 

Learn more about Porchlight Home Care:

http://www.porchlighthomecare.org/

VNANE’s Clinically Integrated Network endorses Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts direction on end of life and hospice care at home. Our network encourages all payers to consider and providers to advocate for these type of changes giving patients better choices while lowering cost. We highly commend Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and will work towards similar arrangements in our contract negotiations moving forward. Please see Boston Globe article and feel free to share.

Article:

http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2015/12/27/blue-cross-expands-benefits-for-end-life-care/5Uduttll3fG3ARVZkktP8I/story.html?event=event25

VNANE’s Clinically Integrated Network Celebrates Home Care Elite Awards

Nov. 2015:    The Clinically Integrated Network of Visiting Nurse Associations of New England proudly recognizes its 13 members earning Home Care Elite Awards.   OCS Home Care by National Research Corporation and DecisionHealth research an annual listing of the top 25% of home health agencies based on performance measures.  In Connecticut, Bethel VNA in Bethel, Foothills Home Care and Hospice in Winsted, New Milford VNA in Milford(top 500), Stratford VNA in Stratford(top 500), VNA Community Healthcare of Guilford and VNA Northwest of Bantam all earned recognition.  Massachusetts is represented by Community VNA of Attleboro, Community Nurse and Hospice of Fairhaven, Natick VNA of Natick, Norwell VNA and Hospice of Norwell(top 100), Porchlight VNA of Lee, VNA of So. Worcester County of Webster and Walpole Area VNA of Walpole all achieving through quality outcomes.

 

Having over 75% of membership earning Home Care Elite status, VNANE’s Clinically Integrated Network continues raising the bar for home care quality.

 

VNANE’s Clinically Integrated Network is comprised of community based not for profit home health agencies throughout Connecticut and Massachusetts. As a network of providers, VNANE’s Clinically Integrated Network provides solutions for health care payers and providers through their expertise and outcome excellence. Our membership mission: “To enable patients to experience the highest quality health care at the least cost possible in their homes.” For additional information on VNANE’s Clinically Integrated Network, contact, Kyle Moseley, VP, Business Development of VNANE at kmoseley@vnane.org.

 

VNANE’s Clinically Integrated Network Members Continue Raising the Bar on Outcome Excellence

VNANE’s Clinically Integrated Network Members Continue Raising the Bar on Outcome Excellence
August 2015- Since creation and implementation of disease specific pathways in Nov. 2014, Visiting Nurse Associations of New England’s (VNANE) Clinically Integrated Network customers have enjoyed impressive improvement on VNANE’s already leading outcomes. With a Q2 showing under 10% at 9.6%, the re-hospitalization rate continues to well surpass Connecticut and Massachusetts State averages. The second quarter’s improvement follows quarter one’s which was a result of the Network’s implementation of the disease specific standards of care.

2014    Q1 2015                            Q2 2015     CT State Avg.*     MA State Avg.*
16%         12%                                   10%                 17%                          17%

*CMS Home Health Compare

“Since implementation of our Clinically Integrated Network’s disease specific pathways and protocols all of our outcome measures have shown impressive improvement!” Ed Devaney, CEO of VNANE says. Ed added, “This improvement continues to put us further ahead of industry standards.”

The Health Care Delivery Institute (HDI) at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has signed a five-year strategic affiliation agreement with the Visiting Nurse Associations of New England (VNANE) and its Clinically Integrated Network of home health and hospice providers. The affiliation agreement provides a framework to collaborate on research, educational and technology development projects that improve home health care delivery.
“Today, more health care is being delivered in the home and community and that will continue to increase in the years to come. At HDI we look for opportunities to make a positive impact across the whole continuum of health care delivery, so we are pleased to be teaming-up with home care experts,” said Vera Tice, managing director of HDI. “The goal of this new collaboration is to leverage our respective strengths for the betterment of patients and health care delivery in the home.”
VNANE is an umbrella organization that provides a range of administrative and support services for its members which are non-profit, community-based home health care agencies in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. VNANE is the largest provider network of its kind in New England. Its members deliver a comprehensive array of home health care and hospice services including skilled nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech and language pathology, medical social work, nutrition counseling and end-of-life care.
“We are excited to begin this relationship with WPI,” said Everett M. (Ed) Devaney, FACHE, president and chief executive officer of VNANE. “We see a lot of opportunities to blend the clinical experience of our member organizations with the research, educational and engineering expertise at WPI and work on a wide range of projects that will benefit patients at home and our professionals who deliver their care.”
HDI is a university-wide multidisciplinary research and education organization that includes more than 30 research teams at WPI. HDI works collaboratively with industry, external healthcare providers, other academic and government partners to develop new patient-centric innovations to improve care and lower costs. WPI faculty researchers affiliated with HDI work in areas such as systems engineering, healthcare informatics and data analytics, digital health, advanced robotics (surgical, rehabilitative, assistive), disease management, and portable medical devices for monitoring and imaging.
Among the early initiatives now being explored through the HDI/VNANE collaboration are development and testing of sensors for the home to monitor patient wellbeing and detect falls; offering an online systems engineering course customized for home healthcare providers to help improve their workflow processes; and early-stage clinical field testing of devices and mobile applications for health care delivery under development at WPI.