VNA receives more than $515,000 in funding from United Way of the Midlands
Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) is pleased to announce it was recently awarded $516,100 in grant funding by United Way of the Midlands to support several programs in Douglas and Sarpy counties in Nebraska and Pottawattamie County in Iowa. Thanks to the generosity of United Way donors, VNA is able to offer programs that serve the metro area’s most vulnerable residents, who are often turned away due to inability to pay or complexity of needs.
One example of these programs is VNA’s Home Health Aide program. This program has helped Marguerite since she had knee surgery in 2010 and it became apparent she was unable to complete tasks such as housekeeping and safe bathing by herself. Marguerite has lived in the same home for 66 years, 32 of those years alone following her husband’s death. At 94 years old, she gets around her house independently with a walker and enjoys morning coffee and sitting on her front porch to read. She has an ongoing degenerative disease as well as joint inflammation (osteoarthritis and bursitis). Due to the limitations these place on her mobility, she appreciates the familiar environment and comfort of her own home.
Lela, a VNA Home Health Aide, visits Marguerite once a week to assist her with bathing and to roll her hair. VNA also provides light housekeeping, including preparing meals, putting in a load of laundry, changing bed linens and taking out the trash. This, along with the support of her neighbor for grocery shopping, enables Marguerite to stay safe and independent in the comfort of her own home. This care has been instrumental to maintaining her quality of life.
As Marguerite shares, “I’d probably be an old crab in a nursing home; it’s meant everything to me to be able to stay in my home.” With a limited income and no children, Marguerite would not be able to secure this care on her own, were it not for the support of United Way and VNA. She shares the most important thing to her is the companionship she receives on an ongoing basis.
“VNA is grateful for our long-term partnership with United Way of the Midlands,” says VNA President & CEO James Summerfelt. “The annual grant allocation VNA receives from United Way is critical to the success of our programs that help break the cycle of poverty for local families and improve independence, peace of mind and quality of life for our clients.”
United Way funded $101,600 for VNA’s Home Health Aide program to help people like Marguerite. This program provides an array of in-home services to vulnerable individuals who require assistance improving and maintaining their safety, wellness and independence to remain in their home of choice.
Additional United Way funded VNA programs include:
$118,400 for VNA’s Maternal Infant Home Health Care: This program provides nursing, social work and supportive services to enhance the health and quality of life of low-income women, children and families. Nurses provide home visits for high-risk pregnancies, support to new mothers and infants, infant care and safety lessons and acute illness or injury care for children.
Social workers help families access community resources and advocate with families when mental health, substance abuse, domestic violence or child safety issues arise.
$90,600 for Home Health Care: This program provides physician-directed, in-home health care services for individuals with acute or chronic illness or injury who are without financial resources to obtain care on their own. The program’s focus is to help clients manage their health needs while living independently.
The Home Care team is multidisciplinary, with registered nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, registered dietitians and social workers working together to meet the client’s full spectrum of need. Areas addressed include primary health, home environment, family support and financial stability. Care plans may include medical treatments, therapy (physical, occupational, speech), education, referrals to community partners, and addressing patient safety needs and other resources as needed.
$205,500 for Maternal Child Home Visitation services: These parenting support services provide home visits by registered nurses, social workers and parent coaches to vulnerable women, children and young families. Referrals come from collaborating partners, healthcare providers, child welfare agencies or self-referral.
An array of voluntary programs target specific populations and/or geographic areas, utilizing evidence-based models or the research-based Growing Great Kids™ curriculum. Each program uses a strengths-based approach and interventions proven to reduce child maltreatment and improve the health, parenting skills and self-sufficiency of high-risk families.
VNA’s Maternal Child Home Visitation programs are Project WIN (Douglas, Sarpy and Pottawattamie counties), Love and Learn Teen and Young Parent Program (Douglas and Sarpy Counties), Nurse-Family Partnership (Pottawattamie County), and Healthy Families America (Douglas County).
For more information on any of VNA’s programs or services, please visit vnatoday.org.
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About United Way of the Midlands:
Thanks to donors, volunteers and community partners, United Way of the Midlands (UWM) is not only focused on addressing our community’s human needs today; it is focused on what can be and what should be. It is building on today’s strong partnerships to create even more comprehensive human service efforts tomorrow, so our community can solve some of the root causes of poverty. UWM is community-based, community-focused. Thanks to those who share their strength, UWM is COMMUNITY STRONG. Please visit UnitedWayMidlands.org for more information
About Visiting Nurse Association
After more than a century, Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) continues to provide valued expertise, comforting perspective, innovative leadership and industry-leading solutions around the health issues of the day in the communities we serve. Our team of more than 400 compassionate healthcare professionals is dedicated to shaping tomorrow’s care, today, by providing the highest quality care to individuals at home and across the community – no matter their age, station in life or available resources. To learn more about VNA’s unique commitment to fostering a healthy, thriving community, and the services available to meet each client’s ever-changing needs, visit vnatoday.org or call 402-342-5566.
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