Happy Care at Home Month and Nurse Practitioner Week!

Dear Colleagues,

November is National Care at Home Month – which used to be called National Home Care and Hospice Month. That name was recently changed to reflect how care at home has evolved. The new name officially recognizes the great work done by all those who enable people to live at home and in their communities – not only those working directly in Home Care and Hospice, but all those who in one way or another support that work.

We celebrate ESPRIT Awards during this time of year as a way of acknowledging the important work done by our teams to provide care in the home.

And… this week is National Nurse Practitioner Week. At VNS Health, Nurse Practitioners play an important role in delivering and managing care in the home, especially for our Hospice patients and families, as well as members served by our Health Plans and Care Management Organization.

Did you know that the nurse practitioner profession started in 1965? At that time, the expansion of Medicare and Medicaid shined a light on the shortage of primary care providers in the United States, and the first nurse practitioner program was launched at the University of Colorado. By the year 2000, Nurse Practitioners were allowed to legally practice in all 50 states, and in 2004, National Nurse Practitioner Week was established. Today, non-physicians, including Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants, deliver over a quarter of total primary care visits nationally.

Thank you for helping so many New Yorkers live better, healthier lives. Happy Care at Home Month and Nurse Practitioner Week!

David

David Rosales
EVP & Chief of Provider Services