Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) and Easterseals Nebraska support the care and access needs of community members today while keeping an eye toward the future, ensuring our collaborative decisions are strong, smart, and sustainable. As we meet our goals and assess evolving needs together, we continually raise the bar to ensure our organization, clients, partnerships, and communities can thrive for decades to come.
My heart is overflowing with gratitude, anticipation, and pride. Together, the employees of Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) and Easterseals Nebraska made tremendous strides in 2024 that have made us a stronger organization today and for the future.
There are three notable areas of growth that are helping us thrive:
Culture: Together we have focused on leadership, accountability, and positive change. Using the “Better Culture” curriculum, we have challenged ourselves and each other to grow as leaders and great co-workers. We took ownership of mindset, recognition, and respect, while also adding a healthy dose of fun. It makes a difference when you are proud of your organization and there’s no doubt the organization is also proud of you. And a better workplace culture leads to a more successful business.
Communication: There is nothing more important than reciprocal communication. It is one thing to open the lines of communication with employees, board members, and donors; quite another to invite and expect those same people to respond and even challenge what has been communicated. As communication has grown and people are invited to share their insights and expertise, our organizations are thriving because we are making decisions based on a wider breadth of knowledge.
Sustainability: Together we are identifying and building the means to be sustainable for another 129 years. VNA and Easterseals Nebraska are grateful to those who generously donate to help us serve underresourced individuals and families who need healthcare, supportive services, and disability services. We also recognize that there are untapped, innovative ways to generate revenue. It was a year of planning: In 2024, we expanded ideas, laid the foundation, and put people and processes in place to begin generating revenue in 2025 that will not only supplement fundraising during a challenging economy, but will also make a strong contribution to sustainability for years to come.
I’m proud of the strides we have made and the direction we are moving. As you read our 2024 annual report, I hope you feel that same sense of pride.
Thank you for helping us care for the individuals and families who rely on VNA and Easterseals Nebraska to receive the support they need. Because of you, they thrive.
Dr. Carole Patrick
President & CEO
4.54 out of 5
96%
VNA offers three voluntary home visitation programs for under-resourced families with infants or young children: Healthy Families America, Project WIN (Iowa), and Love WINs (formerly Love & Learn and Nebraska WIN). Our Physician-Ordered Family Home Healthcare program educates referred parents on how to monitor age-appropriate development milestones, often avoiding unnecessary emergency room visits or other medical services. In all our Parenting Support services, our goal is to empower parents to maintain self-sufficient, healthy, happy families.
Families participating in any of the programs can also access services and resources for breastfeeding support, car seats and pack n plays, childbirth education classes, and community referrals.
Due to funding reallocations by the state of Iowa, VNA sunsetted our Nurse-Family Partnership program in September 2024 after 12 years of positively impacting the pregnancy and postpartum outcomes for first-time parents and families in the Council Bluffs area. We will continue to provide our other parenting support options in Pottawattamie County.
In 2024, VNA also laid the groundwork for our new partnership with Family Connects International (FCI). Through a contract with the state of Nebraska to leverage a $1.2 million home visitation program grant, trained VNA nurses will facilitate FCI’s evidence-based model to strengthen bonds within families of newborns and link them directly to supportive community care resources. Family Connects Visiting Nurse Association – Douglas County, NE will improve overall health of newborns and their parents, while promoting healthy family outcomes and more responsive community care systems.
Alicia enrolled in VNA’s Healthy Families America program in January 2022, soon after learning she was pregnant with her first child. At the time, she was living alone and unsure if the baby’s father would be involved in her child’s life.
During her pregnancy, Alicia opened up to her family support specialist about her childhood in the foster care system, where she experienced instability and trauma. Determined to parent differently, Alicia began exploring her values and parenting style through the Healthy Families America curriculum. Her specialist helped her prepare emotionally for motherhood, encouraged her to bond with her baby through reading and singing, and supported her through 21 visits during the pregnancy.
As her due date approached, Alicia shared her fears about becoming a mother. Her specialist helped her build confidence by highlighting her strengths and referring her to additional VNA resources, including a lactation consultant and maternal-child team. In July 2022, Alicia gave birth to a healthy baby girl, Brin. Following an unexpected c-section, Alicia received in-home support to aid her recovery and help with breastfeeding — ultimately nursing Brin for nearly a year.
The family support specialist continued providing infant development guidance, parent-child activity ideas, and reminders for Alicia to care for her own health. Now, with Brin nearly 18 months old, Alicia consistently makes time for twice-monthly visits, eager to engage in new activities and receive feedback. Her specialist often describes Alicia’s interactions with her daughter as joyful, connected, and confident.
Since joining the program, Alicia has overcome significant challenges. She ended a harmful relationship, started a full-time job, and is working toward buying her own vehicle. She’s proud to provide a stable, loving home for Brin and deeply values the encouragement from her family support specialist, sharing that she’s grateful for someone who “believes in me.”
VNA is the primary provider of public health nursing services in Omaha and Council Bluffs homeless shelters, domestic violence shelters, and group maternity homes. In 2024, our team saw an increase in homeless populations of older adults and children, and we helped shelters understand how to best serve their unique care needs.
VNA shelter nurses help clients on their health journeys through establishing a medical home, physical assessments and health screenings, care for illnesses and injuries, preventative healthcare, education on positive coping skills, chronic disease monitoring, nutritional assessments, prenatal and childbirth education, breastfeeding support, postpartum and infant assessments, and positive parenting education.
Our 27th annual Art & Soup event, which raised funds for VNA Shelter Nursing services, was a huge success at the Omaha Design Center. We raised $161,518 to ensure VNA nurses are in every shelter and maternity home in Omaha and Council Bluffs. We are thankful for the chefs, artists, and attendees who continue to support this event year after year.
My name is David, and I came to Siena Francis House 10 years ago after getting out of prison for the third time, determined to change my life. I met Nurse Ann when I entered the Miracles Addiction Treatment & Recovery Program. When I was thinking about leaving the program, she gave me the confidence to stick with it, and I’m forever grateful for that.
After graduating, I started a vending machine business that helped me have income to start renting a room. My first vending account was at the shelter, and I grew the business to 20 locations. I saw Nurse Ann continue to be a beacon of light, giving hope to others who were unhoused.
Seven years later, the pandemic hit. Many businesses switched to remote work, which slowed down vending machine use, and I had to rethink how to make ends meet. I took a job as overnight shelter staff at Siena Francis House, which led to a promotion to donation driver. That’s when I met Nurse Lesa. Her positive attitude and the hope she gave others were truly inspiring. She offered people the tools to live healthier lives with dignity.
Now, working as a donation manager, Nurse Lesa and I have built a great relationship. She helps me sort medical donations to determine what we can use at the shelter and what should go to organizations offering higher levels of care. Together, we’ve been able to redirect supplies to those who need them most.
Nurse Ann and Nurse Lesa have been angels in my life. They offered guidance when I had the opportunity to buy my first house. Without them, I wouldn’t have made the journey from homelessness to homeownership. Even now, they continue to inspire me to serve others. Thank you, Nurse Ann and Nurse Lesa, for all you do to bring hope, dignity, and healing to those who need it most.
As a part of our long-term commitment to community wellness, VNA provides drive-thru and workplace immunization clinics every fall, and in 2024, we began delivering flu vaccinations and COVID-19 boosters by appointment to residents in the Omaha metro experiencing barriers that prevent them from leaving their homes. This past year, we delivered immunizations to nearly 1,000 more individuals than the previous. All proceeds from our annual flu shot clinics are reinvested into our Community Care services: Home Health Aide, Parenting Support, and Shelter Nursing.
In 2024, VNA continued our partnership with Consonus Pharmacy and Immanuel Communities. In addition to flu and COVID-19 shots, VNA also provided Tdap, Hepatitis A, and Hepatitis B vaccinations at clinics in the Omaha, Lincoln, and Des Moines areas.
VNA’s on-site corporate flu clinics provide the convenience of getting a flu shot without the hassle of making an appointment. VNA also offers a Flu Voucher program in combination with the on-site flu clinic. This supports the health of employees who are unable to attend the scheduled flu clinic date. It is also an opportunity for corporations to provide an alternate option to receive a flu vaccine, if an on-site clinic is not desired.
9,724
Flu & Immunization clients
Learn how VNA workplace flu clinics or vouchers can help protect employee and community health.
Personal care, bathing, and light housekeeping can be overwhelming for older adults, people who have disabilities, or people who have chronic health conditions. VNA’s Home Health Aide services help individuals maintain their safety and independence while helping delay or prevent the need to transition into a higher level of care, such as a skilled nursing facility. VNA’s team serves those with or without family support and those who may have limited financial resources.
At 95, Betty had been living independently in her home when her younger sister Clara, 92, moved in from an assisted living facility. With no immediate family or nearby support, the sisters were doing their best to manage on their own.
When Betty was referred to the Visiting Nurse Association’s Home Health Aide program, she appeared slightly forgetful but remained physically capable, still running errands, making decisions, and doing yard work. However, during Betty’s assessment, VNA’s clinical manager noticed the home needed housekeeping, and the bathtub hadn’t been used in months. Betty shared she had been relying on sponge baths instead.
Betty soon began receiving weekly visits through our program. These visits build relationships and trust so clients feel safe disclosing needs beyond the initial assessment. During one early visit, while the home health aide changed her bedding and started the laundry, Betty was relieved to learn she could receive help with light housekeeping. On another occasion, she casually mentioned mowing her large yard — at 95! Concerned about her risk for falls, the aide helped arrange for a neighbor to take over using Betty’s riding mower.
As care continued, VNA staff identified additional ways to support Betty’s safety at home. The clinical manager coordinated with a local handyman to install grab bars and a handheld showerhead, allowing Betty to bathe more safely with her home health aide’s help.
Thanks to the support of VNA’s Home Health Aide program, Betty can remain safely at home and maintain her independence with dignity.
VNA contracts with various schools in the metro area to provide nurses as part of our commitment to a healthier community. Nurses in schools promote wellness, provide physical and mental health services, and help ensure the overall well-being of students and staff. In 2024, VNA served an additional 304 students compared to 2023 through our School Health services.
No two schools are alike — VNA nurses personalize the services they provide based on the needs of the students, the resources available from the school, and the priorities of the administration and parents. Available services include health evaluations and screenings, wellness education, care for students who are sick, disease prevention and control, and staff training.
23,930
Students served
63
Learn how a VNA school nurse helped a student and his support system manage diabetes.
VNA and Easterseals Nebraska is an alliance dedicated to enhancing the health and lives of those we serve, working in tandem to foster a community where everyone can access the care and support they need to thrive, regardless of ability. By merging operations and resources in 2012, both organizations bring greater impact to those within the communities we serve, ensuring Nebraskans with disabilities have an equal opportunity to learn, live, work, and play.
In 2024, our partnership extended to local organizations like Community Alliance to provide our expertise in accessing disability services and navigating Social Security benefits to clients who are re-entering the workforce. We also partnered with other Easterseals programs across the country to share ideas and advice.
Additionally, Easterseals Nebraska began offering a digital literacy program to help Nebraskans build knowledge and skills to safely and effectively use technology and the internet to make informed choices as they work, learn, and participate fully in daily life. Other services provided by Easterseals Nebraska include job placement assistance; employment follow-along support; benefits planning and work incentives counseling; alternative financing for assistive technology; device and work technique recommendations for farmers and ranchers; and camp, respite, and recreation opportunities.
Last year, Easterseals Nebraska began exploring the development of a barrier-free campus and outdoor learning facility in Blair, Nebraska. Part of the former Dana College campus, 64.5 acres of semi-wooded land has been purchased to build a central hub for camp, recreation, agriculture, rehabilitation, and education unlike anywhere in Nebraska. We look forward to sharing more details as plans and fundraising efforts develop through 2025.
Easterseals Nebraska’s AgrAbility program enhances quality of life for farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural workers with disabilities. After Eric Fass experienced a near-death brain injury that resulted in extensive rehabilitation and challenges with daily functioning and maintaining a cattle operation, the AgrAbility team helped the Fass family discover assistive technology that helps him continue his purpose and passion.
Video credit: InfoFilm
50,432 Total clients served agency-wide
2,158
Community Care clients
194 Car seats and pack n play recipients
33 Childbirth education
129 Home Health Aide
7 OPS Teen Parent program
26 Safety net assistance
1,769 Shelter Nursing
3,016
Parenting Support clients
301 Healthy Families America
163 Lactation consultation
363 Love & Learn
86 Nurse-Family Partnership
1,522 Physician-Ordered Family Home Healthcare
98 Project WIN
483 Social work services
9,724
Flu & Immunization clients
7,270 Adults flu prevention
1,000 Children flu prevention
1,454 Non-flu
23,930
School Health students served
63 Participating schools
10,217 Outreach event attendees
629 Visiting Nurse Association
9,588 Easterseals Nebraska
1,387
Easterseals Nebraska clients
Alternative Financing
7 Clients served
$22,312 Total loans
Camp & Respite
67 Clients served
80 Points of service
Digital Literacy
29 Clients served
Information and Referral
206
Nebraska AgrAbility
43 Clients served
9 Funded plans for assistive equipment
$622,095 Funded
Workforce Development
41 NCBVI benefits planning
365 Nebraska Ticket to Work
190 VR benefits analysis, planning & support
405 Work Incentives Planning & Assistance
34 Youth Transition Services
95% Client satisfaction rating
Gathered from Home Health Aide, Parenting Support, Shelter Nursing, AgrAbility, Camp Easterseals, and Ticket to Work programs
Patient charges & service revenue | $744,806 | |
Grants & contracts | $3,415,178 | |
Other contributions | $2,011,290 | |
United Way | $283,072 |
General & administrative | $1,990,045 | |
Fundraising | $569,461 | |
Easterseals Nebraska | $1,647,770 |
Community Home Care services | $386,052 | |
Community contract & private pay services | $1,125,640 | |
Community Family Support services | $2,601,518 |
Funding sources | Omaha* | Council Bluffs |
---|---|---|
Insurance/private pay | $738,078 | $7,415 |
United Way of the Midlands | $220,551 | $80,294 |
Contracts | $1,785,347 | $58,826 |
Federal, state, & community grants | $1,381,775 | $150,139 |
Special events | $176,741 | - |
Community donors & foundations | $1,713,474 | $118,868 |
Total funding | $6,015,966 | $415,542 |
*Omaha funding sources include VNAM, HS, FND, and ESN
2024 board members
Elizebeth Murphy, Chair
President
Emspace + Lovgren
Jason Hansen, Chair Emeritus
President
American National Bank
Jenny Jacobsen, Vice Chair
Senior Advisor
HUB International
Jeanne Rice, Secretary
Program Manager HBC
Methodist Hospital
Sean Winekauf, Treasurer
Director, Operational Risk Management
Mutual of Omaha
Carole Patrick, PhD
President & CEO
Visiting Nurse Association/Easterseals NE
Micah Beachy, DO
Chief Quality Officer/Vice President
Nebraska Medicine
Jessie Fechner
Director of Nursing
Methodist Women’s Hospital
Craig Flanagan
Chief Financial Officer
WesleyLife
William (Bill) Foley
Attorney/Shareholder/President
Erickson Sederstrom P.C., L.L.O.
Katie Fourney
Marketing and Communications Manager
SHARE Omaha
John Hoich
Vice President, Lakin Foundation
President, Hoich Enterprises, Inc.
Roger Kobayashi, MD
Clinical Professor
UCLA School of Medicine
Eric Norman, PhD
Enrollment Advisor
Workforce Education Solutions, National U.
Consultant, Eric Norman Consulting
Sue Nuss, PhD
Chief Nursing Officer
Nebraska Medicine
Rebecca Tamayo
Chief Operating Officer/Co-Owner
Home Care Advantage
Thank you to our supporters
Our work would not be possible without the support of our generous donors.
Recurring and planned gifts greatly impact the lives of the individuals and families we serve. Learn more about how your gift can help our organization, clients, and community thrive for years to come.
6,554
Clients served through donor-supported care
$100,000+
$50,000-$99,999
$25,000-$49,999
$10,000-$24,999
$5,000-$9,999
$1,000-$4,999
In addition to our annual Art & Soup fundraiser, we raised funds during city- and nation-wide giving days and closed out 2024 with $71,973 from our year-end campaign — over $20,000 more than the previous year’s campaign.
*Includes Do Good Days and Giving Tuesday