Many of us received a year-end appeal last month on behalf of Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice (CVHHH) authored by Tom MacLeay, friend and retired chair and CEO of National Life Group. CVHHH is our local nonprofit home health and hospice agency, founded in 1911 and serving the Mad River Valley towns of Duxbuy, Fayston, Moretown, Waitsfield, and Warren. In his letter, Tom shares how his relationship with CVHHH was forged, in part, through his wife of 49 years, Charlotte, a nurse and passionate advocate for public health, who supported CVHHH as a volunteer and board member.
In Tom’s words: “CVHHH’s mission of delivering high-quality health care to Central Vermonters at home – and providing education and support to keep people at home – benefits patients, families, and the broader health care system.” If you have not received care, or known a family member or neighbor who has, you may not be familiar with CVHHH.
RECOVER AT HOME
CVHHH delivers at-home care for people of all ages and at all stages of life, including new parents, patients, and families in need of end-of-life care, and persons recovering from an acute illness or surgery. The ability to receive care where you live, and to remain a part of your community matters to Tom MacLeay, and it mattered to Charlotte. Like Tom, we feel a huge debt of gratitude to CVHHH. We cannot predict when any of us will need CVHHH’s services, but, when you do, they will be there.
RURAL HEALTH CARE CHALLENGES
Here in The Valley, residents face an uphill battle accessing health care. This mirrors trends in rural communities nationwide. Onerous increases in health care premiums, long wait times for appointments, and the need to travel out of The Valley for care make it difficult for our neighbors to get the care they need when they need it. Similarly, health care organizations have their own challenges including a workforce shortage, inflation, and reimbursements for care that fall short.
For example, every year, the value of the care provided to Central Vermonters by CVHHH’s registered home health and hospice nurses, nurse’s aides, physical, speech, and occupational therapists, and home health and hospice social workers exceeds what the organization is reimbursed by its primary payors (Medicare and Medicaid, private insurance providers, and patient self-pay). This creates an operational loss that is made more acute by years of reimbursement cutbacks from Medicare for home health care. In accordance with its mission, CVHHH provides care regardless of a person’s ability to pay or their insurance status. Just this year alone, over 200 patients were served in The Valley, amounting to over 3,600 home visits.
As former employees of CVHHH, we have enjoyed an inside view of CVHHH’s leadership and services and can vouch for the organization’s strong commitment to providing high-quality, person-centered, and safe care at home to all Central Vermonters in need.
REASON TO GIVE
Your donation to CVHHH’s year-end appeal helps community members in need who are unable to pay for their care because they lack adequate insurance or are uninsured. Your contribution also helps make up CVHHH’s annual operational loss which is critical in assuring CVHHH continues to provide valuable programs ranging from maternal and family child health to end-of-life care. Home telemonitoring, which reduces hospitalizations by identifying condition changes early, is a key CVHHH program that is not reimbursed by insurance. In addition, contributions provide opportunities for staff to obtain certifications in specialized areas – dementia care and wound care, for example – using the latest evidenced-based practices.
Far and away, home is the most cost-effective place to receive care, and who doesn’t want to be at home? It’s a win-win!
Please consider donating to CVHHH’s year-end appeal. Visit www.cvhhh.org to give and learn more.
Connie Colman, Warren, is a CVHHH board member and former CVHHH chief quality officer and Laura Arnesen, Warren, is a former CVHHH board member and staffer.
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