Visiting Nurse and Community Health

03/28/2013

A Bereavement Group is being offered by the Hospice Care program of Visiting Nurse and Community Health (VNCH). This is a 6-week group for adults who have experienced the loss of someone significant to them.

Share and receive support from others who are grieving. The group will meet for six consecutive Sunday afternoons, beginning April 28 and ending June 7, from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at VNCH, 37 Broadway, 2nd Floor, Arlington. It will be facilitated by Beth Loomis, a VNCH bereavement coordinator experienced in grief support. Pre-registration is required.

Those interested in registering or obtaining more information should contact Beth Loomis at 781-643-6090, ext. 1344, or by email at ELoomis@TheVisitingNurses.com.

02/12/2013

Visiting Nurse and Community Health (VNCH) invites you to a production of the acclaimed “Thoroughly Modern Millie” on Thursday, May 2, 7:30 p.m., at the Stoneham Theatre. All proceeds from the evening will help sustain and expand essential home care services, including Hospice Care, and will help tremendously in meeting present and future needs of older adults in 32 communities.

Tickets for this fabulous show are $55 each, or $100 a pair. To order tickets or for additional information, please contact Meredith Lambroff at 781-643-6090, ext. 1322, or at MLambroff@TheVisitingNurses.com.

Current supporters of the evening include Arlmont Fuel, Bowes Real Estate, Brookline Bank, Leader Bank, and Prakash Ellenhorn, LLC.

11/09/2012

Visiting Nurse and Community Health (VNCH) has been named a Top Agency of the 2012 HomeCare Elite™, a compilation of the top-performing home health agencies in the United States. Now in its seventh year, the HomeCare Elite identifies the top 25 percent of Medicare-certified agencies and VNCH has received this recognition all seven years. Winners are ranked by an analysis of publicly available performance measures in quality outcomes, process measure implementation, patient experience (Home Health CAHPS), quality improvement, and financial performance.

VNCH’s Chief Executive Officer Maureen K. Thompson, RN, MSM, CHCE, attributes Visiting Nurse and Community Health’s high quality of care and an agency-wide commitment to treating every patient with dignity, respect and individualized care as the reasons VNCH has consistently ranked as one of the HomeCare Elite since 2006. She said, “To be recognized as being among the top home health care agencies in the country is a tremendous honor and accomplishment for all of us at Visiting Nurse and Community Health. This achievement is a direct result of the high level of care and caring the patients entrusted to us receive from each and every member of our staff, including clinicians, therapists, social workers, Hospice Care staff, home health aides, and everyone involved in the agency’s daily operations. I am incredibly proud of their accomplishment, and even prouder to be a part of such a high-caliber agency.”

04/05/2012

MaryKate Hankinson, RN, an Arlington native and Visiting Nurse and Community Health, Inc. (VNCH) clinician for the past two years, has received her Wound Care Certification from the National Alliance of Wound Care. Prior to her certification, MaryKate was required to complete an intensive Wound Care Certification course.

According to Christine Dixon, VNCH’s Chief Executive Officer, “We at Visiting Nurse and Community Health are extremely proud of MaryKate’s most recent accomplishment. Having a staff clinician who specializes in Wound Care impacts a large number of the patients we care for because MaryKate’s focus will be to assess wounds, develop a treatment plan, clean wounds and monitor for signs of infection. MaryKate will also work with patients and other VNCH care givers to educate them on wound prevention.”

MaryKate, a 1993 graduate of Somerville Hospital School of Nursing, adds, “I am grateful to VNCH for giving me the opportunity to obtain Wound Care Certification and strengthen my nursing skills. Wound Care is rewarding for me because I am able to play a significant role is helping our patients heal and return to normal functioning. I also am able to share the knowledge and skills I have gained with other VNCH staff, which further extends the quality of care VNCH provides to our patients.”

02/23/2012

VNCH has been awarded $4,500 to purchase oximeters, which will be used by the home health care agency’s clinicians to monitor patients blood oxygen saturation levels. This project is funded by a grant from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation Catalyst Fund. Created in 2001, the mission of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts is to expand access to health care in Massachusetts through grantmaking and policy initiatives.

Christine Dixon, VNCH’s Chief Executive Officer, explained the significance of this award, stating, “We are extremely grateful to the Catalyst Fund for recognizing the importance of each and every one of our nurses and rehab therapists having the new pulse oximeters. The majority of patients we care for have chronic diseases like Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), asthma, and diabetes. These patients are more prone to experiencing decreases in oxygen saturation, which, in turn, can affect their heart rate, blood pressure, blood circulation, mental status, strength and stamina, and may contribute further to complications. Our mission is to care and teach patients with the goal of keeping them well and at home, preventing re-hospitalizations.”

02/07/2012

VNCH, through grant funding from the Massachusetts Association for Healthcare Quality, is offering free Home Safety Evaluations to at-risk elders in the 28 communities we serve. These evaluations are performed by a VNCH physical therapist, who will make specific recommendations based on an examination of the elder’s living environment and mobility in the home.

Reducing falls for at-risk elders is a public health program that is largely preventable. The goal of VNCH’s Home Safety Evaluation is to identify risks (e.g., tripping hazards, missing handrails, worn rugs/electrical cord, etc.), and mobility limitations, and make suggestions for improvement (e.g., remove/tape down area rugs, need for grab bars and railings, lighting improvements, etc.). Our elders can live independently longer if their inside/outside living environment is made as free from falls as possible.

Elders desiring a free Home Safety Evaluation should contact VNCH’s Rehabilitation Therapies department at 781-643-6090, ext. 1202, for more information and to schedule appointment. Requests will be filled on a first-come-first-served basis.

11/11/2011

We at VNCH would like recognize all the men and women veterans of wars, both alive and deceased, who so selflessly served our country and safeguarded our freedom. We salute you today, on Veterans' Day, and throughout the year.

09/29/2011

***Burlington Water Ban Lifted***

The "boil your water alert" that was in effect for the Town of Burlington after E.Coli was detected in water samples has been lifted. Here is the link to the Burlington website for the most up to date information http://www.burlington.org/index.html.

Town of Burlington, Massachusetts

09/07/2011

Join us for our 6th annual “Pot of Gold” raffle and a chance to win $10,000, or one of many other prizes! Those attending the fun-filled evening will also enjoy a buffet dinner, silent auction and cash bar.

When: Thursday, October 27 beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Sons of Italy Hall, 19 Prentiss Road, Arlington
How: For more information or to purchase tickets, please contact Meredith Lambroff at 781-643-6090, ext. 1322; by email at MLambroff@TheVisitingNurses.com; or visit our website at www.TheVisitingNurses.com

08/31/2011

VNCH has been awarded a $23,500 grant from the Symmes Medical Use Nonprofit Corporation. This grant will support of the expansion of VNCH’s Telehealth Program, which monitors our Congestive Heart Failure (CHF), Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), and medically fragile patients.

For more information about our Telehealth Program and other specialty programs, please call us at 781-643-6090.

08/08/2011

A Grief and Loss Support Group is being offered by Visiting Nurse & Community Health of Arlington. The group will meet for seven consecutive Tuesday mornings beginning September 20th, from 10:30 to Noon at a church in East Arlington. Pre-registration is required.

Those interested in registering or obtaining more information may contact Nancy Strong, Hospice Bereavement Coordinator, and facilitator of the group, at 781-643-6090, x 1342.

08/08/2011

Visiting Nurse and Community Health, also referred to as VNCH, is one of the oldest and most widely respected home health care agency in eastern Massachusetts.