CLARION, Pa. (EYT) – The Clarion-Forest Visiting Nurse Association is the only freestanding home health care and hospice provider in Clarion and Forest Counties.
“The agency is free-standing, meaning that we are not controlled by another health care provider or any other business or government entity,” said Executive Director Jill Over.
The VNA believes its unique status helps fulfill its mission of providing quality and appropriate home health care services to residents of Clarion and Forest Counties, regardless of the ability to pay, to the extent that resources are available.
The “business of healthcare” has changed dramatically over the years with many freestanding agencies going out of business or being taken over.
“There are only a handful of us left in Pennsylvania, and we are the only one located in our service area,” said Over. “We have served our area for close to 40 years, and our free standing status has been beneficial to the VNA and the community.”
Clarion Forest VNA in November 2013 was named a Top Agency of the2013HomeCare Elite, recognition of the top-performing home health agencies in the United States. Now in its eighth year, the HomeCare Elite identifies the top 25 percent of Medicare-certified agencies and highlights the top 100 and top 500 agencies overall.
Winners are ranked by an analysis of publicly available performance measures in quality outcomes, best practice (process measure) implementation, patient experience (Home Health CAHPS), quality improvement and consistency, and financial performance. In order to be considered, an agency must be Medicare-certified and have data for at least one outcome in Home Health Compare. Out of 9,969 agencies considered, 2,496 are elite.
The local community approach by the award winning VNA also includes its not-for-profit status and members of its Board of Director all live in its service area and serve the VNA is a volunteer capacity. VNA is in touch with its service area from the ground up.
“We have been able to implement programs to support patient and community needs quickly and efficiently rather than being a minor player in a much larger organization where home care is often the last program to receive attention,” said Over. “Each year our home health, hospice, private-duty, and adult daily living center services provide care to nearly 1500 individuals and their families. Our employees are all from the local area. We are friends, neighbors, and family to those we serve, and we are invested in the future of this area.”
One benefit from being a locally based health care provider is that VNA receives both volunteer service and financial support to fulfill its mission.
“For instance,” continued Over, “we are a member agency of the United Way of Clarion County, and its funding supports our hospice house. One of the most important ways we are supported is when a person chooses the VNA to provide the care they require at home because there are many providers to choose from. We are appreciative and thankful for all the support that we receive.”
The VNA also provides services in parts of Jefferson, Armstrong, Venango, and Butler counties. They provide skilled home health services, hospice care, private duty, and companion services to those recovering from illness, the homebound, and those in the final stages of life. Most services are provided in the client’s home. In addition to services in the home, the VNA has an Adult Daily Living Center; Serenity House (for hospice patients that choose not to remain at home); and offers various programs to the community at large on health related and bereavement related topics.
Clarion Forest VNA, Inc. is Medicare certified and licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as both a Home Health Agency and a Hospice.
The VNA is located at 271 Perkins Road in Clarion near Wal-Mart and can be reached for services at the following telephone numbers: VNA Home Health at 1.800.262.2118; VNA Hospice at 1.800.428.1841; or Extended Care/Adult Daily Living Center at 1.814.782.3036. Its website is at www.cfna.org.
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