The Visiting Nurse Association of Mercer County (VNA), formerly known as The Visiting Nurse Association of the Delaware Valley and the Trenton Visiting Nurse Association, can trace its roots to 1907. A philanthropic women's group, Pi Gamma Epsilon, funded the salary and living expenses of an R.N., Miss Mable Hayter, to provide bedside nursing to the working poor of Mercer County.

In 1935 the Service Committee of the Zonta Club of Trenton began investigating the feasibility of organizing a formal Visiting Nurse Association in Mercer County. That service project established the model for the current VNA, which began operations on June 1, 1938. From the very beginning the VNA was concerned about providing high quality service and in the 1940's successfully achieved voluntary accreditation by the National League for Nursing, an achievement that has continued to this day.

In subsequent decades insurance carriers expanded funding for home care services so that patients could be discharged earlier from hospitals with the care of a visiting nurse. In addition to bedside nursing, the need for greater expertise in rehabilitation was becoming apparent as more advances were made in designing assistive devices and orthopedic equipment suitable for home use. The VNA of Mercer County added a full-time Physical Therapist to the staff. The program allowed nurses to work for the first time in an interdisciplinary team model to teach patients to regain mobility and remain independent in their homes. The historic passage of the Medicare/Medicaid Legislation in 1965 created the first stable funding source for home care services in America. VNA of Mercer County continued to meet the challenges of new opportunities that were emerging, and added new programs in response to changing community needs.

The sixties and seventies brought great advances in medications and surgery making it possible for more people to survive heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. In response, the VNA interdisciplinary team model grew as specially trained home health aides were added to assist patients with personal care, and a Medical Social worker to help patients and their families cope with the demands of illness. The Rehabilitation program expanded to include Occupational and Speech Therapists, which helped VNA care for patients with more complex needs. More support staff was added to handle billing and insurance forms. Formal coordination at area hospitals began with nurse liaisons meeting patients prior to discharge to ensure a smooth transition to the home setting.

Technology came to home settings in the eighties and nineties making it possible for VNA to provide care that could only have happened inside a hospital a few years earlier. Infusion Therapy services were initiated and the rehabilitation staff utilized new mobile tens units and ultra sound devices. A full time nutritionist was added to the staff to help patients understand how diet choices affect their health. Support staff grew to handle medical records, Human Resources, Quality Assurance, and Staff Development.

In 1994 VNA created a formal hospice program with a team of specially trained nurses, social workers, home health aides, therapists, a medical director, chaplains, bereavement counselors, and a dedicated group of volunteers. The hospice program makes it possible for patients and their loved ones to live their remaining time together in the comfort of their own homes. VNA ended the old millennium with a comprehensive range of services that covered acute, preventative and high technology care as well as support for patients and families facing a terminal illness.

VNA continued to be leaders in the healthcare technology movement introducing a telehealth program to remotely monitor vital signs, weight, and knowledge of disease management for diabetic and cardiac patients. Telehealth helps patients develop greater independence in managing and understanding their illness. Since 2006, all VNA staff have utilized a handheld wireless device to chart their patient's progress and communicate critical information to all members of the home care team. The VNA also developed a secure website portal for physicians to sign medical orders and see reports on their patients. Diabetes management, rehabilitation, and wound care are among the clinical specialties offered by the VNA.

For over 70 years, VNA has remained focused on our mission to provide progressive, compassionate home care and hospice services, by maintaining the resources and financial strength necessary to support and develop programs, by adapting to changing community needs, by embracing new technology that makes it possible to provide care in a more effective manner and to a broader variety of patients, by maintaining an optimistic attitude about the future, and by a strong belief that whatever the challenge, this VNA will find a way to deal with it.