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News Release

INPATIENT HOSPICE, INCREASED VISITS REFLECT VNA'S GROWTH

Mary Peterson (with patient Faye Smith of Wesley) and other VNA staff members helped meet the home health care needs of almost 1,800 area residents in 2006.

Jan. 31, 2007 — A new inpatient hospice program, increased visits and expanded rehab services reflect the growth of the Visiting Nurses Association of Venango County. The home health care organization also is on target for more progress in 2007, which marks the 90th anniversary of visiting nurse services in Venango County.

Here is a summary of last year’s achievements and a look at 2007:

Inpatient Hospice – VNA’s Inpatient Hospice is a cooperative effort with UPMC Northwest that gives area families a new option for end-of-life care. It is the first program of its kind among area home health care organizations and hospitals, and it already has helped meet the needs of 48 patients and their loved ones.

When a patient doesn’t want to experience the last days of his or her life at home, in a nursing home or other non-hospital setting, the inpatient hospice offers an opportunity to receive high-quality end-of-life care in the hospital where he or she is most comfortable.

Inpatient hospice care involves all of the same services that are available to patients who obtain VNA Hospice services at home or elsewhere: hospice nursing care (on call 24 hours), visits as often as needed from other hospice team members, recommendations about pain and symptom management, spiritual counsel, follow-up bereavement care, and more. The patient’s doctor, UPMC Northwest nurses, and other hospital staff members also help meet patients’needs.

Inpatient hospice services are a “natural extension of the palliative and hospice services that VNA already offers in patients’ homes and nursing homes,” says Lynn Smith, RN, VNA hospice/palliative care nurse manager. “It gives patients and their families another option for receiving hospice care.”

With the demand for hospice services increasing and the inpatient hospice at UPMC Northwest exceeding projections, VNA also is considering development of an inpatient hospice at Sugar Creek Station, UPMC Northwest’s skilled nursing and rehabilitation center.

Growth – VNA’s 143 staff members helped to meet the needs of 1,788 patients in 2006 while making 41,046 home health, hospice and palliative care visits to these individuals (up 3 percent from 2005). The importance of VNA’s services also can be measured by its average daily census, which currently is more than 500 patients (an 11 percent increase over 2005).

Growth of the VNA Hospice also is continuing: staff members provided hospice and/or palliative care for 187 patients between July and December 2006 (up 24 percent from the year before), including the 48 patients who received inpatient hospice care at UPMC Northwest.

Palliative and hospice care have the same goal – to help patients live with an incurable disease – but there’s one important difference between them. Palliative care occurs before or during active treatment of a chronic or terminal illness (including cancer, chronic heart, lung, kidney and liver disease, dementia and diabetes) while hospice care is given after active treatment concludes. About half of those who receive these services are cancer patients.

Private Duty – Demand for the services of VNA Private Duty nurses, home attendants and PM companions increased markedly in 2006, with staff members providing 112,136 hours of service (a remarkable 32 percent increase over 2005). Private duty services including assistance with dressing, bathing, meals, medications, and other everyday activities are available around the clock every day of the year in patients’ homes and other facilities where they reside.

Also available are personal emergency response systems that summon help with the touch of a button, and housekeeping and handyman services.

Rehab Services – VNA expanded its occupational therapy services with the addition of certified occupational therapy assistant Mary Peterson to its staff. Mrs. Peterson and occupational therapist Doug Nelson use exercise, instruction about assistive devices (tub seats, long-handled shoehorns, etc.), encouragement and other techniques to help patients reacquire daily living skills like bathing, dressing, cooking and cleaning.

When disabled individuals and people recovering from illness regain their ability to complete everyday activities like these, their well-being, sense of independence, and quality of life improve. “Patients feel so much better when they’re able to do things for themselves and get over their illness or disability,” says Nancy Linehan, VNA’s chief clinical officer.

Patient Satisfaction – VNA continues to be one of the best performing home health care organizations among more than 350 in the Press Ganey patient satisfaction survey. VNA’s patient satisfaction ratings in recent quarters have averaged 93.2 out of a possible 100 points.

Telemedicine – This convenient VNA service, which takes less than three minutes a day, is especially beneficial for patients with congestive heart failure and other chronic illnesses that require close observation. Patients use a home monitor to measure their weight, blood pressure, pulse and oxygen levels, and the tabletop device transmits this information to the VNA office in Oil City, where a nurse reviews the information. When a vital sign is abnormal, VNA can arrange prompt treatment that may prevent an emergency room visit or hospital stay.

Visit Tracking – VNA Private Duty has a new system that is helping to ensure more accurate billing for its clients. With the new telephone-based visit tracking system, private duty home attendants and housekeepers place a call using the client’s phone at both the beginning and end of a scheduled visit. The system records this information and generates a bill based on how long the staff member was in the home. Clients incur no expense for the calls.

Stroke Support Group – This group provides education and support to help individuals live well after a stroke. The group meets at 7 pm the fourth Thursday from April to December at Grace United Methodist Church, 350 Front St., Rocky Grove.

Bereavement Support Group – Adults who are experiencing grief due to the loss of a loved one can find support on the second Thursday every month at First Presbyterian Church, 1250 Elk St., Franklin. Meetings are at 7 pm.

Hospice Volunteers – VNA has increased its services to hospice patients through an enhanced hospice volunteer program. Hospice volunteer coordinator Rita Kiter has a corps of 15 trained volunteers who provide terminally ill patients and their loved ones with companionship and support, and make items like afghans for patients and “memory bears” for families.

Youth Grief Programs – VNA’s 11th annual Camp Good Grief for children and teenagers who have experienced the death of a loved one drew 38 participants in June for some therapeutic fun at Singing Hills Girl Scout Camp near Two Mile Run Park. There were 28 participants in November for VNA’s similar Hope for the Holidays program.