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In early 1919, Mr. James McKenna. Mrs. William Arthur, Dr. George C. Craig, Mrs. H. L. Morris, Dr. David R. Lyman and Miss M. Elizabeth Smith met to redefine and to formalize the manner in which health care was being provided within Wallingford, CT. Because the members of this group regularly cared for ailing friends and relatives in the community, each of them understood that people are more content and recover faster when care is provided within their own homes. The group also recognized the importance of using specially trained clinicians to meet the unique needs of the sick at home. With these objectives in mind, the group designed a plan that would provide innovative, cost effective, quality, home and community care to all Wallingford residents, regardless of their ability to pay. The Community Nursing Service and Wallingford Tuberculosis Relief Association was created. The Agency was to be an extension of the Wallingford Department of Health. It was charged with providing care in private homes and with providing community health and wellness activities. A Mission Statement was drafted to read, "The purpose of the Agency is to serve the residents of Wallingford by providing care to the sick in their homes, by teaching control of disease, and by encouraging the prevention of disease and the promotion of health."
In 1923, the Agency was incorporated as the Wallingford Tuberculosis Relief Association. It was later renamed the Visiting Nurse Association of Wallingford, Inc. Over the course of its eighty-four years of caring, it has developed into a non-profit, multi-service, public health Agency that
provides community and home care services to the residents of Wallingford and surrounding areas. It is certified by Medicare and Medicaid, licensed by the State of Connecticut, Department of Public Health.
Consistent with its original purpose, the Agency continues to function as an extension of the Wallingford Department of Health and to provide mandated and essential public health services. Ongoing Agency priorities continue to be to identify and respondond to community needs as quickly and
efficiently as possible. In order to make services easily accessible, the VNA has moved many of its wellness programs beyond its own facility and into locations within the community including the Wallingford Senior Center, senior housing units, the Wallingford Day Care Center, and several
other public sites. It has added numerous support groups, training and education workshops, screening programs, and counseling opportunities to the array of services that are available to the community.
Additional home care services have been initiated to address the needs of homebound clients who often require intense medical intervention and care. Specialty nurses, therapists, counselors, and other professional staff are available to provide palliative care, wound care, diabetic management, and restorative rehabilitation. As a result of these efforts, clients are often able to remain in their own homes and to avoid hospitalizations.
The members of the VNA team consistently demonstrate their dedication to the Agency's Mission and to the clients and families whom they serve. Whether they render hands-on care in the client's home, render clerical support in the office, offer leadership within the Agency and the community, or govern through the Board of Directors, these employees and volunteers provide dynamic and unselfish service. Their commitment to achieving excellence every day is unsurpassed. They continue to uphold the Agency's reputation for integrity and high quality care, for comprehensive service, and for outstanding utilization of resources.
The Visiting Nurse Association of Wallingford, Inc. will continue to meet its challenges with excitement and enthusiasm. Together, the Agency's Board and staff will continue the tradition of caring for the community with quality service that will not be compromised.
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