MDNews - Central New York

A S THE BABY BOOMER POPUL ATION AGES AND PRE VENTING HOSPITALIZ ATIONS BECOMES MORE IMPORTANT THAN E VER BEFORE, VNA HOMECARE HELPS CENTR AL NE W YORKERS WHO NEED INDIVIDUALIZED INªHOME CARE THRIVE IN THE ENVIRONMENT WHERE THE Y ARE MOST COMFORTABLE. BASED IN SYRACUSE, VNA Homecare has transformed itself from a three-entity organization in 2011 to an eight-entity compa ny at present . Its roots in the region go back more than a century: In 2015, the company 's oldest branch, the Visiting Nurse Association of Centra l New York, Inc., a certified home hea lth agency, celebrated its 125th anniversary. Today, VNA Homecare encompasses: + Visiti n g Nu r s e A s s oci ation of Central New York, a certified home hea lth care agency + Eldercare Social Day Program, a five-days-a-week service that provides socia l opportunities, entertainment, exercise and medication assistance outside the home + C C H Hom e C a r e & P a l l i a t iv e S er v ices , Inc., a cer t i f ied home health agency focused on pre-hospice and end-of-life care + Independent Health Care Services, a licensed home care agency + Eldercare Foundation, Inc., which focuses on meeting the in-home care needs of seniors + Home Aides of Central New York, which provides services from certified home-hea lth aides + VNA Foundation of Central New York, Inc., an entity dedicated to sup- porting the care of VNA Homecare's more t ha n 10 0 lon g-t er m ped iat- ric patients I n 201 2 , a nt icipat i n g t he empha- si s t h at New York s t at e's Med ica id Redesign Team would place on managed care, V NA Homecare launched its most a mbitious ser vice yet: V NA Homeca re Opt ions, a ma na ged lon g-ter m ca re (MLTC) Medica id pla n that provides medica l care and non-medica l services, such as housekeeping, tra nspor tation a nd home sa fety modif ications, inside a nd out side t he home a ccord i n g t o patients' needs. "Prior to coming to V NA Homeca re in 2011, I oversaw one of upstate New York 's on ly M LTC pla ns," says K ate Rolf, MBA , FACHE, CHCE, President and CEO of V NA Homecare. "I saw how well it worked for patients a nd knew it was something we needed to focus on at V NA Homeca re. We established a home- a nd communit y-ba sed MLTC coordination model that brings home ca re, hea lth ca re a nd post-acute ser- vices into patients' homes." MEETING DIVERSE NEEDS To be elig ible for V NA Homeca re Options, an individual must be 18 years of age or older, qualify for Medicaid, require nursing home-level care for at least 120 days, be able to stay safely at home and in the community, and live in a county the program serves. VNA Homecare Options has grown to cover 48 counties in central and upstate New York. " When we started VNA Homecare Options, we knew patients often couldn't coordinate their care, even if a ll the resources they needed were available," Rolf says. "Patients and providers alike struggled with cost constraints and com- munication. We've streamlined all of this with VNA Homecare Options." When an individual enrolls in VNA Homecare Options, a clinical nurse and social worker visit the home to assess the new member's needs and return regularly thereafter. Members may receive a variety of services, including nursing, home health care, medication management, home safety modifications, nutrition services, house- keeping, wound care, social work, physical and occupational therapy, personal care assistance, and durable medical equipment. Bringing Personalized Health Care Home BY THOMAS CROCKER A conceptual rendering of the planned renovations to VNA Homecare's headquarters at 1050 W. Genesee St., Syracuse, New York 1 0 1 0❱❱❱❱❱ S P E C I A L F E A T U R E

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