Building Campaign - Message From the Director
When the VNA moved to our present office in 1988 it felt like we were moving into a mansion. We had 3000 square feet of space! Within a few years we had converted our “lower level” (otherwise known as a basement) into office space. And in 1994 we purchased a small house adjacent to our property and moved our business office into it.
Twenty years after our move to Knox, as part of our strategic planning process, the Board of Directors commissioned a study of our physical plant. Their concerns included the need for additional space, safety issues related to the distance between the two buildings as well as the access to the lower level in the clinical office, and the need for renovations if we remained at the current site. After the study was completed, and with thorough deliberation, the Board made the decision to build a new facility, preferably to be located in the Clarion area.
Our growth can be attributed to several factors. People are sent home from hospitals still needing skilled care at home. People are choosing to remain at home, rather than moving into a nursing home. We have added specialty services such as a Wound, Ostomy, Continence Nurse (WOCN), Registered Dietician, Stroke Screening, and Home Care Coordination to ease the transition from the hospital to the patient’s home . We have hired additional physical and occupational therapists to meet the rehabilitation needs of our patients. And the paperwork burdens required to bill Medicare and other insurers have greatly increased, which has meant hiring additional office staff.
We also initiated a Medicare certified Hospice program which has a staff of its own that have specialized training in caring for the terminally ill. Hospice has, in addition to “traditional” home care providers, a chaplain, a music therapist, a physician, a bereavement counselor, a volunteer coordinator and more than 60 active volunteers.
So the need for additional space is self-evident. But our primary concern is our mission to provide care regardless of the patient’s ability to pay. That is why the Board of Directors also has committed to a fund raising campaign. Every dollar we raise for the building project is a dollar saved to help us fulfill our mission.
I thank you for considering our request. In the 28 years I have been with the VNA, our support from the community has been generous and truly a blessing. Because people like you care, our mission continues.
Jill R. Over
Executive Director