Visiting Nurses Association of Albany Joins Albany Med Health System
Following New York State approval, the Visiting Nurses Association (VNA) of Albany has become a member of the Albany Med Health System. Together, the VNA and the System will enhance the continuity of care from System hospitals to homes across the Capital Region.
“The VNA has a longstanding history of delivering expert post-acute care and therapies to our patients recovering from illness or injury,” said Albany Med Health System CEO Dennis P. McKenna, MD. “We are close partners in the care plans we develop, and our core service areas fit perfectly together. By joining forces, we are redoubling our shared commitment to quality, coordinated care along a patient’s entire journey of healing, wherever they may be.”
Founded in 1880, the VNA of Albany is a certified home health agency that provides skilled nursing, medical social work, home health aide services, and cardiac, infusion, diabetes, and rehabilitation therapies. Because the VNA is now a member of the System, its providers may more readily extend access to home-care resources to patients. The VNA also provides opportunities for contract nurses at the four System hospitals.
The integration makes the Albany Med Health System the parent organization of the VNA. The System also includes Albany Medical Center Hospital, Albany Medical College, Columbia Memorial Health, Glens Falls Hospital, and Saratoga Hospital. It is the region’s largest and only locally governed health care system. It is also the region’s largest private employer.
VNA of Albany CEO Susan Larman, RN, said this partnership reinforces each organization’s focus on patient-centered care and the health of the entire region.
“The mission of VNA is to provide health care services to patients in accordance with the highest ethical and professional standards in order to restore, promote, maintain, and support the patient’s health and well-being in their own homes,” Larman said. “This partnership will strengthen the collaboration of clinical expertise with each System hospital to promote a smooth transition of clinical services to the home setting with efficiency, consistency, and highly skilled expertise.”
Dr. McKenna added, “Demand for hospital services is stronger than ever. With our direct link to the VNA, patients can leave the hospital knowing that they will receive safe, skilled care in a comfortable environment. It brings the benefits of the Albany Med Health System quite literally into our patients’ homes.”