Helping patients recover at Home
VNA Community Care Services

Many Lancaster General patients are leaving the hospital sooner and recovering in the comfort of their own home, thanks to help from VNA (Visiting Nurse Association) Community Care Services.

“Our goal is to help the people we serve to be independent, so that there is no need for institutional care during their recovery,” says Anne Gingerich, Development Coordinator for the VNA.

Beatrice Mullaney (left) is able to recover from surgery at home and lead a more independent life thanks to VNA. Her case worker and VNA nurse, Nicole Lewis, checks her vital signs during a recent home visit.

VNA nurses work to monitor a patient’s medical condition, decrease their pain, increase their mobility, and instruct them on proper medication management and follow-up care.

While about 70 percent of their patients are senior citizens, VNA serves all ages. In fact, last year nearly 1,000 of their patients were under a year old, usually children born premature or with medical difficulties.

“Our nurses make sure mothers know how to provide the proper care and nutrition for newborns and young children who need a little help reaching developmental milestones,” says Bill Dunstan, Vice President, VNA Community Care Services.

VNA nurses typically spend about an hour with a patient, 2-3 times a week. The duration of the care will vary and is based upon the length of time needed to adequately meet the patient’s needs.

Without home care, surgery patients like Beatrice Mullaney of Lancaster might have to recover in a rehabilitation care facility instead of at home, says her case manager, Nicole Lewis, a VNA nurse.

“I don’t know what I would’ve done without them,” Beatrice says. “It’s been wonderful. They’ve really been a tremendous help to my recovery.”

“We’ve been educating Beatrice on how to become completely independent again,” Nicole says. “But for those things she needs help with, such as changing some of her bandages, we are able to help her out.”

VNA provides a variety of services to the community. While most patients receive skilled nursing care, other home care services offered include physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, general health aid and medical social work.

“We are continually looking for ways to maximize outcomes while keeping our costs as reasonable as possible,” Dunstan says.

VNA nurses like June Stritman, RN (right) visited Lancaster County patients nearly 60,000 times last year, providing healthcare services that allow them to recover at home.

One way they are doing that is with Telehealth wireless monitors, a cutting-edge system that quickly and easily checks a patient’s vital signs—such as blood pressure, weight, pulse and blood glucose levels—and sends the information to a nurse. The system even alerts the patient when a check is needed. VNA has 70 units currently in use.

With the monitor, the nurse can tell if there’s a problem and assess certain indicators for the patient. It allows them to pick up trends or changes in the patient’s condition, which can help doctors respond to a patient’s needs more quickly. “That can reduce the need for hospitalization and helps control the patient’s cost for healthcare,” Dunstan says.

VNA is a United Way member agency, and Dunstan says the organization is grateful for the support it receives from the community and from the Lancaster General medical staff.

“We are giving patients a choice— they want to go home and we are able to help them do that while still receiving outstanding care,” Dunstan says. “And for insurance companies, providing services that are lower cost, like the services VNA offers, makes better financial sense.”

For more information about VNA, call 397-8251, or visit their Lancaster General website by clicking here.