Vermont Business Magazine The Visiting Nurse Association of Chittenden and Grand Isle Counties (VNA) opened the doors to the new McClure Miller VNA Respite House on Monday. The ribbon cutting celebrates completion of the 21-room Respite House which will replace the current 13-room Vermont Respite House located in Williston. Construction of the state-of-the-art building, named in honor of local benefactors and long-time hospice advocates Holly and Bob Miller and Lois McClure, began in the fall of 2015. All costs associated with the project are being funded through an $8.6 million capital campaign which is on-going. Through the generous support of the community, $5.5 million has been raised to date.
Increasing demand for quality end-of-life care, growth in community acceptance of hospice and Vermont’s aging population have all led to a greater demand on the state’s only Medicare-certified residential hospice home. Over the past 10 years, the number of individuals seeking hospice services in the community increased by over 50%, with Vermont Respite House experiencing a 46% increase. The VNA is poised to meet the increased demand in the larger Colchester location.
“As people are sicker at the end of their lives and their care needs increase, families are not always able to care for their loved ones at home. More and more, they turn to Respite House to provide a home-like environment and the loving care Vermonters have come to rely on. The new Respite House builds on a 25 year legacy of providing residential hospice care to our friends and neighbors facing life-limiting illness,” said VNA President Judy Peterson.
In addition to increasing capacity from 13 to 21 rooms, the new VNA Respite House will include larger, thoughtfully-designed resident rooms including private in-room bathrooms with accessible showers and comfortable space for family to stay overnight. The house also features improved kitchen facilities, multiple family gathering spaces including a light-filled living room with fireplace, reflection room, children’s play area and the ability to expand should additional resident rooms be needed in the future. Staff and volunteers will have much-needed space for care planning and coordination, additional private spaces to meet with families and the latest communications technology.
VNA Executive Director of Hospice & Palliative Care, Tara Graham says “We welcome the community to visit our new Respite House to see what the future of residential hospice care looks like. The VNA hospice team focuses on the individual needs of each person in our care, ensuring they’re able to live the last chapter of their lives in the way that is most meaningful to them.”
The VNA invites the community to experience the enhanced features of the new VNA Respite House at an open house on Monday, September 12, 2016 from 4:30 to 7:30 pm. A closing ceremony honoring our first hospice home will be held on Saturday, September 24 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at Vermont Respite House in Williston. All are welcome and details can be found on the VNA website: www.vnacares.org.
About the VNA
The VNA is a 110-year-old non-profit home health and hospice agency caring for people of all ages – from critically ill children to vulnerable families to adults who need rehabilitation, care for chronic illness, adult day services or end-of-life care. The VNA provides medically-necessary home and community-based care to individuals and families, serving over 5,000 individuals and families in Chittenden and Grand Isle Counties each year. Last year, the VNA provided $1.87 million in charitable care to our neighbors in need. The VNA is proud to be a funded agency of the United Way of Northwestern Vermont. For more information on VNA services and programs, please contact the VNA at (802) 658-1900 or visit www.vnacares.org.
Source: VNA 9.12.2016. Photos by Carolyn Bates Photography