Guiding Principles
Mission:
To be the Home Health and Hospice Organization of Choice by providing quality multi-disciplinary, community-based services and programs.
Guiding Principles:
- Visiting Nurse & Health Services of Connecticut recognizes that each patient is an individual with unique health care needs, respects patients’ rights and personal dignity and assures access to competent respectful care.
- Visiting Nurse & Health Services of Connecticut’s philosophy is founded on the basic principle that health care and community-based services and programs serve to keep patients at home and families together to the extent possible.
- Visiting Nurse & Health Services of Connecticut is firmly committed to excellence in home health, hospice and community-based services and programs.
- Visiting Nurse & Health Services of Connecticut continually strives to improve performance by implementing organization-wide processes and systems which result in innovative, quality, cost-effective care.
- Visiting Nurse & Health Services of Connecticut demonstrates its commitment to staff by providing opportunities for professional growth, encouraging participation in the Mission and strategic direction of the organization and promoting and rewarding employee excellence.
- Our dedication is to serve our patients within the continuum of care in partnership with an integrated delivery system.
- Visiting Nurse & Health Services of Connecticut will continue to lead and proactively respond to all challenges in an evolving health care environment.
Our History
Over 95 years of caring and service.
Visiting Nurse & Health Services of Connecticut was founded in 1913 when the Cornelia Circle of the Rockville Women’s Club chose as its annual theme “Woman’s Work in Modern Times”. This led to a study of family and welfare problems in the community.
Later that year a meeting was held in the Rockville Superior Court, the purpose being to establish the Rockville Public Health Association. Soon after, Jenny Smith, RN began visiting families; she made 2,949 home visits traveling fifty miles a week that first year.
Following World War I the demand for visiting nurse services increased. Infectious diseases declined to be replaced by chronic degenerative diseases. Nurses were busy during the 1940 – 1950’s providing services such as mass x-ray programs to detect tuberculosis; demonstrating the need for dental programs in the local schools and initiating a study of the health needs of high school students which resulted in the employment of school nurses. Polio became an epidemic in the 1950’s, Rockville Public Health Nursing Association held clinics in schools to inoculate children against the disease. Later they led the way in the creation of a public housing authority to study the housing needs of the elderly in the community.
Ninety-five years ago one nurse provided services to meet health care needs in the community, today more that 300 caregivers provide services in twenty-five towns in north central and eastern Connecticut.
In 1986 Rockville Public Health Nursing Association merged with River East Home Care to become Visiting Nurse & Community Care. In 1987 North Central Hospice merged with Visiting Nurse & Community Care, and in 1989 South Windsor Visiting Nurse & Community Health Association became part of the Agency.
Visiting Nurse & Health Services of Connecticut came into being in 1998 when Visiting Nurse & Community Care merged with Visiting Nurse & Home Care of Manchester. The new organization is in partnership with Eastern Connecticut Health Network and the Community Health Association.
The vision of the Cornelia Circle in 1913 became the foundation of Visiting Nurse & Health Services of Connecticut.