Mission & History
As a not-for-profit, mission-driven home care agency, VNA Plus believes that every person it is able to serve deserves the highest quality of care and support to preserve independence, dignity and safety in the home.
In support of our mission and vision, we are committed to the following beliefs and values that guide our decisions and actions in providing care to the communities we serve:
- Honesty and Integrity
- Respect and Concern for Others
- Quality
- Future Preparedness
- Stewardship
History
Lydia Metz, Indiana’s first home care nurse, made nearly 2,000 visits on her bicycle every year.
In 1888, a small group of area women who recognized a need to visit the sick in their homes founded what would eventually be named the Visiting Nurse Association of Southwestern Indiana. Fourteen years later, the group hired Lydia Metz, Indiana’s first home care nurse. Lydia brought her own special mix of professional training and personal dedication to the many patients she visited. She became a role model for all VNA Plus staff who bring that same special combination of training, technology and commitment to caring for our patients.
In 1982, Visiting Nurse Plus, also a not-for-profit agency, was created to provide private pay non-medical services and senior care that complemented the care offered by VNA. VNP’s services expanded through the years to include professional private duty nursing, short-term medical staffing, care for recipients of several government funded assistance programs, and a medical alert service.
A merger in 2010 brought together these two sister agencies; under the new VNA Plus umbrella, customers and their families can now access a complete array of services ranging from non-medical help such as housekeeping, companionship, personal care and respite for family caregivers; to skilled nursing, therapies, mental health, wound care, disease management, hospice and more. With a history rich in service to its communities, joining these two organizations enables VNA Plus to successfully meet future health care challenges with personalized services that are cost effective, prevent or postpone the need for a long-term care facility, keep families together, and are proven to promote faster recovery and a better quality of life.