The Community Home Nursing, a program operated by the Visiting Nursing Association (VNA), is one of the programs that has received a grant for the 2008-09 funding year thanks to your contributions to Cedar Valley United Way.
 
The goal of the Community Home Nursing program is that a patient's health status improves because they received the needed home health skilled nursing and home health aide services for their acute, chronic or terminal illnesses regardless of their ability to pay for these services. These services promote health, treat and prevent disease, and assist individuals to live independently in their homes, keeping them out of hospitals and nursing homes.
 
Annually about 7.6 million individuals receive home health services in the United States because of acute illness, long-term chronic health conditions, permanent disability, or terminal illness. Many hospital patients are discharged to receive home health services to continue with their prescribed rehabilitation care services.
 
Many individuals who experience serious illness want to recover in their own homes .To remain in their homes many of these individuals with acute, chronic, or terminal health needs require assistance and home health services for varying lengths of time. The skilled nursing assistance can include everything from intravenous treatments; special tube feedings; teaching the patient about his/her diagnosis; providing wound care; teaching wound care to the patient and/or family member; condition assessment; teaching the patient about their medications, side effects and interactions; assessing and teaching the patient about special diet needs; and coordination of multiple community resources for the patient and family.
 
Here's the story from the VNA of one patient helped by your contributions to Cedar Valley United Way:
 
One success story of the patients that the VNA utilized Cedar Valley United Way funds during the first quarter was a 25 year old woman who was married but without health insurance. The patient developed acute pancreatitis after gallbladder surgery. She was very ill and unable to take in any oral nutrition. She had an NJ feeding tube surgically placed. A referral was made to the VNA to teach about her NJ tube feedings, tolerance to tube feedings, assess weight, assess vital signs and assess her pain control.