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Your support changes lives Philanthropy has always been vital to the life of the Natick Visiting Nurse Association (Natick VNA). In fact, a majority of our free care is funded through donations as well as through the generosity of numerous grantors such as the MetroWest Health Care Foundation. The foundation’s funds have helped us increase our technology offerings.
Meeting the future needs of the community will be costly but will allow the Natick VNA to remain a leading provider of home health care in the region we proudly serve. Your support will help us continue to do this good work.
The Natick VNA provides a vital link between patients and their physicians thanks to the generosity of people like you.
Our origins The Natick VNA, formed in 1899, is an independent, not-for-profit agency providing home health services, preventive health activities, and health education to 24 MetroWest communities regardless of a patient’s ability to pay.
Award-winning care Natick VNA serves people of all ages, from newborns with conditions requiring special medical care to young working adults disabled by illness or accidents who need temporary assistance. Our people make more than 90,000 visits each year to more than 2,000 people; more than 600 patients comprise our average daily caseload. Registered nurses, rehabilitation therapists, registered dietitians, medical social workers, and home care aides deliver care. In 2002 and 2005, the Natick VNA was accredited for three years by the Community Health Accreditation Program, a national quality assurance and performance improvement organization. Also, for four of the last five years, the Natick VNA received the VNAs of New England’s Pinnacle Award for Patient Satisfaction, underscoring our commitment to superb, compassionate care.
Supporting the underserved The support of the Natick VNA is especially crucial to the elderly and low-income people in our communities. Eighty-one percent of the Natick VNA’s caseload is aged 65 and older, and 17 percent is aged 86 and older. Throughout the MetroWest region, one in five households is headed by a person aged 65 or older—and these same households represent 50 percent of all those with incomes of less than $25,000 per year.
Innovation through changing times Over the course of 106 years, we have witnessed many changes in health care, from the introduction of Medicare and the influx of HMOs to the advent of computers, which have revolutionized health care.
The Natick VNA has always been in the forefront of both clinical and operational advances in home health care. In 1994, we were the first agency in the state to provide all of our nurses with laptop computers. In addition, we were one of only a handful of demonstration sites nationwide for Medicare’s Prospective Payment System (PPS), which has become the norm in Medicare billing systems reimbursement for home care. More recently, we became the first home health agency in the country to implement eHomeCare, the first totally web-based clinical and billing information system for home health.
In a continually changing—and challenging—health care environment, the Natick VNA has maintained its financial stability. Over the past three years, our budget has grown from six million to just over nine million. While a number of home health care organizations have faced serious financial and operational challenges that have resulted in their closing, the Natick VNA remains fiscally strong.
Support your communities—give to the Natick VNA Your support will allow the Natick VNA to implement a number of key initiatives, from technology to free care. Below are areas where we would especially welcome your contributions.
Fund clinical technology In its continuing effort to provide the best possible care in the most effective and efficient manner, the Natick VNA has implemented a home telemonitoring system. Daily monitoring enables nurses and physicians to track patients’ progress and identify possible warning signs before they become major health issues. This program enables patients to monitor their own vital signs and conduct daily blood tests in their homes. Computerized reports are sent electronically to the Natick VNA. In the fall of 2005 the Natick VNA received a grant to install 31 telemonitoring devices in patient homes. This pilot program has been so successful that the Natick VNA plans to install an additional 70 monitors in homes this year. The cost of 70 monitors is $105,000 ($125 per month per monitor).
Support free and unreimbursed care The core mission of the Natick VNA includes our pledge to “endeavor to care for people, regardless of their ability to pay.” For more than 107 years, we have kept our promise. As one of the few independent, not for profit home care agencies in our area, we are experiencing an increased demand for both free and subsidized care, from nursing, social work, and rehabilitation therapy, to nutrition assistance and home health aid. In 2005, since 19 percent of our patients did not have adequate medical coverage, we provided more than $300,000 in free or unreimbursed care and medical supplies. As Medicare and Medicaid guidelines change, more people either lack insurance or have more restrictive insurance coverage. As a result, we foresee an increasing demand for free and unreimbursed care, without which patients would simply not be able to receive care at home.
Help educate clinical staff Since we believe that a well-trained staff is key to delivering quality care, we encourage all clinical staff to take advantage of continuing education opportunities. By offering the best clinical services, the organization will continue to satisfy our patients and our reimbursement sources, ensuring the good health of the people we care for. Natick VNA has established a Staff Education Fund to assist staff members who wish to further their clinical expertise, gain certification in clinical specialties, or earn other certifications in their field. Our goal for the fund is $100,000, an amount that would offset the high cost of education and training in clinical specialties such as cardiology and would help us retain and attract high quality, well trained staff.
Fund new programs In response to the changing needs of the Natick VNA’s terminally ill patients and those with chronic pain, a palliative care program will be established. Palliative care, also called comfort care, is primarily directed at providing relief to a terminally ill person by managing their symptoms and pain, maintaining the highest possible quality of life for as long as life remains. The Natick VNA estimates that each of our clinical staff members will require 40 hours of training to incorporate palliative care into our services, at a cost of $100,000.
Equip clinical staff with the tools to provide quality care We’ve worked hard to keep pace with the changing healthcare needs of our patients. To continue to maintain our excellence, we must continue to invest in information technology and capital equipment. While our capital needs are extensive, the following items are needed immediately:
How do I contribute? There are many ways to support our organization:
Thank you for your support.
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