The Orange Visiting Nurse Association was recently named one of the top 500 home care agency’s by HomeCare Elite OVNA Administrator Judy Benson, R.N. said.
The Orange Times recently sat down with Benson to discuss the many services OVNA provides for town residents.{{more}}
OVNA is one of only five municipal sponsored VNAs in the state along with Naugatuck, Berlin, Ledyard and Westbrook.
This is the second year OVNA has been rated one of top 500 homecare agencies in the nation. Now in its eighth year, the HomeCare Elite identifies the top 25 percent of 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 (Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems), 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 the survey. Out of 9,969 agencies considered, 2,496 are elite Benson said.
Benson said she credits “the commitment and dedication of our clinical staff for providing excellent, individualized, patient centered care to all of the patients and their families. She also credits the support of the volunteers, board and Town of Orange” with the agency’s ability to achieve recognition as one of the HomeCare Elite. “Our focus has
been on continuous quality improvement, and reducing re-hospitalization as well as empowering our patients to learn to manage their chronic diseases” Benson said.
The entire list of 2013 HomeCare Elite agencies can be downloaded by visiting the National Research Corporation website at www.nationalresearch.com/homecareelite.
Orange Visiting Nurse Association has been providing community based homecare and school nursing since 1937 as a municipal agency of the Town of Orange. The agency provides skilled nursing care; physical, occupational and speech therapy; medical social work; dietitian; home health aide and homemaker to citizens of Orange, Milford, West Haven and Woodbridge. The specialty programs include wound care, diabetes, heart failure, rehabilitation and the agency also has a collaborative relationship with Professional Home Health Care to meet the needs of patients who require IV or TPN therapy in the home.
OVNA also offers flu clinics, blood pressure monitoring, Vitamin B12 maintenance injections.
Benson said the agency will also go to town businesses to offer employee flu inoculations.
According to the Center For Disease Control flu season is Oct. 1 to March 31 Benson said.
And for some, OVNA will also make home visits.
“Anyone who resides in town and has difficulty leaving home can call for an appointment,” Benson said.
Blood pressure clinics are held the third Thursday of the month 1 to 2 p.m. at OVNA.
The agency also offers assistance for individuals who may not need skilled care but still could use assistance with activities of daily living such as bathing.
Benson urges town residents to ask for OVNA assistance when they are discharged from the hospital or a skilled facility.
“When the doctor says you need home care assistance have him make the referral to OVNBA instead of one of the 10 for profit agencies that cover the town of Orange,’ Benson said.
OVNA is located at 605A Orange Center Rd and can be reached by telephone at 203-891-4751.