On just about every day of the week, the visiting
nurses of VNA Services, Inc. were in and out of
North Haven homes, continuing a nearly centuryold
tradition of making it possible for homebound
residents to receive medical care in the comfort and
security of their own residences. Visiting nurses help
make it possible for hospital stays to be shorter and
recoveries quicker.
VNA Services, Inc., a not-for-profit, Medicare licensed,
state certified home healthcare agency accredited by the
Community Healthcare Accreditation Program (CHAP),
continued to provide community and home healthcare
for the homebound residents of North Haven as it had
since 1921. During the last 11 months, VNA Services, a
member of the Saint Raphael Healthcare System, provided
homecare services to approximately 129 residents, with
62 percent funded by traditional Medicare, 6 percent
funded by Medicaid, 31 percent funded by insurance
and private pay, and 1 percent funded by the town. The
Town of North Haven’s allocations and donations were
used to assist patients with acute or chronic illness for
care not reimbursed under Medicare, for those who do
not qualify for Medicaid and for services not fully covered
by insurance plans. VNA Services had an insurance
verification department to ensure that all possible
payers were utilized prior to accessing town dollars.
During July 2009-May 2010, town funds supported 19
nursing or therapy visits, 233 hours of home health aide
and homemaker/companion assistance, and 2 flu shots
provided and 3 hours of day care consulting.
VNA Services’ mission - to provide high quality health
care services to those we serve in the home and
community - continued, as its highly trained professional
staff provided preventive services through clinics and
educational programs. Town funds supported the
following programs:
Adult Health Guidance Clinics – offered free of charge
to residents of North Haven. Clinics are conducted by
nurses from VNA Services, Inc. Nurses were available
to take blood pressures and answer general health
questions, including questions pertaining to specific
medications, their side effects and how and when to
take them. Individuals requesting information about
prescriptions were asked to bring with them the exact
prescription name as well as the names of any other
medications currently being taken. During the fall, the
agency conducts influenza and pneumonia vaccine
clinics. Clinics were held in the following locations:
Joyce Budrow Senior Center on the 2nd Monday and 4th
Wednesday of the month. During 2009/2010, there were
190 visits to this clinic over 19 sessions. The American
Legion hall was the site of these clinics while the Center
was under renovation.
Steven Woods Clinic – this clinic was held on the first
Monday of the month and serves primarily residents
of the Steven Woods Senior Complex, although walk-ins
were welcomed. During 2009/2010, there were 127
visits served at 12 sessions.
North Haven Recreation Center – held each first and
third Wednesday. This clinic had a large attendance with
approximately 139 visits in 22 sessions. This unique clinic
has attendees ranging from senior citizens to younger
residents in the work force.
Woods Edge Senior Housing – During 2009/2010 there
were 102 visits to this clinic over 12 sessions. This clinic
was held every fourth Wednesday of the month.
Educational Presentations
Our Manager of Community Services and Community
nurses offered educational programs at various locations
such as the Senior Center throughout the year.
Our services as “Health Consultants” to the town’s
Moppet Minders Nursery School and Community
Services Day Care Center were expanded in response to
changes in state regulations and guidelines.
All services were relocated to the American Legion when
construction began to the Joyce Budrow Senior Center.
For those who “surf the web,” our web site had some
useful information on health and prevention as well as
listings of times and locations of clinics and presentations.
The web address was www.srhs.org/vnaservices
Up to the minute information was made available about
Influenza vaccinations,. When available, vaccination clinics
were held often in collaboration with the local health
department, QVHD. Clinics were held in multiple locations
throughout town, servicing those 18 years or older.
VNA Services also provided state-of-the-art HomMedR
telemonitoring as the standard of care. This hospital grade,
Type II instrument provided a way for medically
suitable patients to have their vital signs monitored daily
in their homes. Their data, which includes blood pressure,
heart rate, blood oxygen level, weight and temperature,
was transmitted once a day through the patient’s phone or
via satellite to a computerized central station monitored
by the agency’s telemonitoring nurse. It can help reduce
hospital lengths of stay, re-hospitalizations and emergency
room visits, thus reducing health care costs.
The agency’s home care clinicians were equipped with
laptop computers that were being used at the point of
care in the patient’s home. Information was uploaded
daily and synchronized with the agency’s mainframe
computer system at its headquarters. The automated
system provided homecare patients the benefit of having
clinicians with on-site specific information regarding
their condition and provided more time for the clinician
to spend with patient care and educate them toward
independence. In addition to VNA Services being the
home care agency of choice for patients, the agency’s new
technology made it an employer of choice for area nurses.
Roy Sasenaraine, the agency’s Executive Director & CEO,
headed a skilled management team that continued
its hard work at finding new ways to streamline
processes and control costs while achieving excellence
and exceeding expectations in homecare outcomes.
Reimbursement continued to be a challenge for VNA
Services as we strived to balance utilization while
maintaining the highest quality of care. Note that both
the federal and state governments continue to cut costs,
thereby reducing the rates paid to home care agencies.
VNA Services, Inc.,was a wholly-owned subsidiary of
the Saint Raphael Healthcare System,and was acquired
by VNA Community Healthcare of Guilford on June 8,
2010. The non-profit homecare agency will operate
under the name VNA Community Healthcare and serve
approximately 1800 patients daily, providing home-care
services to residents of not only North Haven, but also
greater New Haven, and Middlesex Counties. The main
corporate office will remain in Guilford and there will
be a clinical office in Hamden.
We take this opportunity to thank those who have
contributed gifts and memorials to our agency in honor of
loved ones so that others may receive care. We appreciate
the opportunity to provide home and community health
services for the residents of North Haven .
