With nearly 40,000 residents having received care and more than a million home visits on the books, Douglas County VNA is proud of its legacy.
| 2018 Q4 | story by writer Julie Dunlap | photos by Steven Hertzog
Cynthia Lewis, CEO of Douglas County Visiting Nurses
The Douglas County Visiting Nurses Association (VNA) has much to celebrate during its upcoming golden anniversary.
More than 38,000 Lawrence-area residents have been graced with the care of a VNA health professional in the 1.5-plus million home visits tallied so far in its 50-year history.
VNA’s history dates back to the late 1800s, when community health workers instituted networks of health-care professionals to provide care within the home. Based on the British district nurse model, still part of the United Kingdom’s National Health Service today, patients are able to recover from illnesses, injuries or surgeries from home, both saving money and improving morale.
While several VNAs popped up in the New England, Douglas County VNA’s model traces back to 1893, when Lillian Wald implemented the Visiting Nurse Service of New York (VNSNY) in the Lower East Side of New York City, teaching classes on home nursing and health care to poor immigrants in an effort to create a healthier community.
Top to bottom: Social worker (LBSW) Mickey Dick visits and consults with patient Russ Best; Licensed Practical Nurse Amy Wilkes takes blood pressure for Gaile Stephens at Brandon Woods; Hospice Volunteer Coordinator and Massage Therapist Sarah Rooney tends to the soremess in the feet and legs of Russ Best by applying massage; Certified Nursing Assistant and Certified Home Health Aide Ashley Causer plays a few hands of cards with Linda Davis
As the population expanded westward, so did the need for health care.
By 1968, the population of Lawrence was nearing 45,000. Lawrence Memorial Hospital (LMH) was in the process of expanding, and the average life expectancy for Kansans was seeing a slight rise. Lynn Rothwell, who had moved to Lawrence from Vermont with her husband, recognized the need for in-home health care in the community and decided to bring Wald’s model to Douglas County.
Lawrence Outlook, a weekly news publication, described the intangible need for home health care in 1968, as Rothwell began the process of bringing this service to the homebound of Douglas County: “VNA will serve the physical needs of the (bedridden and their caregivers), but perhaps more importantly, by showing the unfortunate that the world has not passed them by, it will provide a measure of spiritual comfort as well.”
Rothwell did not have to look far for support. Dr. Ralph Reed, of the Reed Medical Group, in Lawrence (now Reed Internal Medicine), served as the first board president and assisted Rothwell in both garnering support from the physician community and raising the necessary funds.
Through the generosity and backing of Lawrence United Fund (now the United Way), Douglas County Medical Society and the Medical Auxiliary, Lawrence Jayhawk Kennel Club, the Kaw Valley Heart Association and other individuals, Rothwell raised $5500 in funds, which was matched by a grant from the Kansas Department of Health in early 1969.
The U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare provided a $22,000 grant soon after, and LMH and the Douglas County Health Board donated office space at 342 Missouri St. Rothwell opened the doors in February 1969 with four nurses, four home health aides, one physical therapist and a bright future ahead.
“Visiting Nurses Association is breathing new pride and compassion—and that most fragile of all gifts, hope—into the Lawrence community,” wrote supporter Hilda and Jacob Enoch to founder Lyn Rothwell in 1969.
Cynthia Lewis, CEO of Douglas County VNA since 2013, carries on this 50-year history of proactively providing that fragile gift of hope to the area, emphasizing, “I spend a lot of time making sure we are involved in the initiatives going on the community … so we can be a part of that.”
Douglas County VNA board members are connected to the health-care community, with physicians and LMH administrators serving and providing direction to VNA’s growth. LMH has supported Douglas County VNA with partnerships, equipment and funds over the past 50 years. Private donors, physician practices and area organizations have all contributed to the success and growth of VNA for patients in Douglas County, as well.
Each VNA across the country is independently founded, financed and operated, with funding generated from patient fees and charitable donations.
While initial home health-care fees ranged from $2 per hour to $6 per call, depending on the need and the ability for the patient to pay, VNA now typically bills through Medicare, Medicaid and private insurance, while still providing charity care to roughly 4% of its home-health patients.
VNA began providing hospice care in 1981, allowing terminal patients to live out their final days and say goodbye to their loved ones in the comfort of their own homes. This service is most often paid through Medicare.
VNA added another vital piece of home health in May 2009 with a program called Help at Home. This program, typically financed through private pay though available at all levels of ability to pay, provides nonmedical services to homebound patients such as companionship, meal preparation and feeding, transportation to appointments, bathing and grooming, medication setup and overnight care. The program also provides much-needed respite care for caregivers, allowing them to recharge before resuming caring for loved ones.
Today, these services are the product of the labor and love of 95 employees, including nurses, rehab therapists, social workers, aides, chaplains and administrators, and 48 volunteers, most of whom work in hospice care.
Lewis beams with admiration for these providers, explaining, “We stay true to our roots and provide quality staff.”
Janice White, HR Manager for 48 years:
“When I first started working for VNA, we were in the basement of the house at 342 Missouri.”
One patient needed to be seen who was living in a room in his church. We received a call one Sunday morning that the gentleman needed assistance. The only way to reach the room was through the sanctuary during a church service. Care was provided to the sounds of the choir, the organ and lots of hallelujahs.
Debbie Ahlert-Caffey, 27 years with VNA:
“I feel a part of their family.”
VNA was the only home-health agency that would serve the pediatric-care needs of an area 7-year-old boy with interstitial lung disease. Home care allowed him to be a regular boy, attend school and maintain a quality of life he wouldn’t have had otherwise. He’s now a 20-year-old college student.
Pat Deaver, 24 years with VNA:
“My career at VNA has been more than a ‘job,’ it’s a family.”
Caring for a teenage girl with cerebral palsy, one of her greatest joys was helping her bathe in the Jacuzzi tub her family purchased especially for her. The smile on her face during those visits lit up my world, as well.
Lani Rothwell, 25 years with VNA:
“It allows us to see the patients in their environment.”
I followed a stroke patient during both his inpatient time in the hospital and at home. When in the hospital, he displayed very challenging behaviors, but at home, his demeanor was completely different. He was very kind and grateful.
