VISITING NURSES ASSOCIATION CELEBRATES 25 YEARS

In 1973, there were no home health services available in Southeast Missouri until the administrators of five public health departments took the initiative to begin what is today called "Visiting Nurse Association of Southeast Missouri." They saw a need for home care that no one else recognized. They worked for and earned a grant from the Missouri Department of Health to establish the first home health agency in Southeast Missouri.

Initially, the organization was called Semo Regional Home Health Agency and served only five counties in the Bootheel. Nurses, therapists, social workers and aides made "house calls" throughout the area ministering to the needs of those recovering from illness at home. They listened to the problems of individuals and families and worked to help them find solutions. They kept up with new treatment protocols, not only for Southeast Missouri but from all over because residents expected it from them and proved it by seeking out doctors and treatments from all over the United States.

Over time, the agency grew in services specifically developed to meet the needs of the communities and individuals seeking help. Visiting nurses continue to respond to the intensity of need with advanced treatments being offered in private home. Where once a patient was required to undergo a surgical procedure in the hospital to have a central catheter inserted in a vein in the chest for long-term intravenous (IV) medication, nurses now are specially trained to safely insert and care for similar use catheters placed in the patient's arm while in their own home. Advances in wound care over the years have saved many people from surgery and the loss of limbs. The needs of infants and children are also met by visiting nurses and therapists.

In 1984, homemaker chore and personal care aide services were added. Through the efforts of this team of caregivers, weak and frail individuals receive the support and care they need to remain in their own homes and prevent premature institutionalization. Homemakers and personal care aides prepare meals, clean homes, launder clothes and linens, shop for groceries and other items, pick up medicines from the client's pharmacy and a host of other tasks necessary in maintaining and individual in their own home. Today, these workers also include individuals specially trained to provide daily routine assistance with ostomy care, transfers from bed for the paralyzed using special equipment and more.

The greatest changes in the agency affecting an even larger portion of Missouri began in 1985. It was in 1985 that the agency name was changed to Visiting Nurse Association of Southeast Missouri (VNA) and the Private Duty Nursing and Sitter services program began. Services were also expanded throughout all of Southeast Missouri at that time. Nurses were officially "on call" then as now to meet the needs of patients 24 hours a day.

The Senior Companion program began in 1988 to tap into the experience and energies of senior citizens by placing them in service to ill peers and the disabled. Workers are Social Security recipients who choose to work 20 hours each week for a small stipend that doesn't affect their benefits check. They prepare meals, accompany them to their physician appointments, assist them in routine tasks of the home and run errands.

VNA Hospice was developed and Medicare certified in 1993. This program was designed specifically to meet the needs of the terminally ill and provides a broader array of services intended to give compassionate care to both the patient and family. A team of professionals and non-professionals join the patient and their family in provision of services designed specifically to ensure comfort and maximum quality of life. Support is provided to meet the needs of the whole person, to resolve emotional and spiritual conflicts as well as control the physical discomforts of disease.

VNA is the only hospice in the area to provide homemaker chore and personal care services to Medicare-only recipients. Typically, only Medicaid recipients receive homemaker chore services under other hospice programs.

Over the years, VNA has been a leader in the development of special projects such as a mobile dental health unit, a job training program, and a sexuality education program to assist parents in teaching their children about sexuality.

VNA staff participates in skills workshops at least annually to hone their techniques and infection control measures in the delivery of all services.

"We have always dedicated much of our visits to patient and family teaching so as to have their understanding and cooperation in their own treatment," said Helen Sander, RNc, VNA professional communication liaison. "It just improves patient compliance if they know the 'what' and the 'why' of the treatments recommended by their doctor."

Sander states that each person must know that they have the right and the responsibility to select the doctor, hospital, home health agency, pharmacy and equipment company that best meets their own needs.

"Patients must be involved in the decision making from the day they select a provider of their care to the day they no longer require treatment," said Sander. "This in itself reduces the need for long-term care because they recover more quickly."

Physicians call on home health agencies due to urging that they avoid or shorten hospital stays. People are recuperating at home from surgeries and illnesses that have in the past been treated only in the hospital setting.

Increased interest and knowledge results in greater independence, a stronger desire for wellness, and thus a more rapid and complete recovery. This saves money, also when combined with the fact that the patient is in their own home and the strong desire most people have to "go home."