Visting Nurse Service & Affiliates history

By 1889, the agency had begun employing and training nurses to care for patients in their homes.

VNS Health was founded in 1893 by Lillian Wald, who was not only the first public health nurse but also one of the most influential pioneers in the history of nursing, public health, and social reform.

The Mission reformed as “The Albany Guild for the Care of the Sick Poor” in 1896, and the following year, incorporated as a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit corporation.

In 1901, the seeds for VNS Westchester were planted by Doctor William Hazard Sherman, a prominent physician, who rallied local women to start a nursing service to care for patients discharged from St John’s Riverside Hospital in Yonkers.

The local home nursing movement started in Windsor, Vermont in 1907.

Our organization began with a meeting of volunteers on June 24, 1912, at Brookdale Farm in Lincroft, NJ. The young organization set out to improve prison conditions and achieve a more humane approach to public assistance.

By 1918, the agency adopted the name Monmouth County Organization for Social Service (MCOSS).

In 1921, the service was renamed the Yonkers Visiting Nurse Association.

In 1936 four official and 16 volunteer nursing agencies came together for mutual support through the Westchester Nursing Council, while they continued to operate as individual entities.

In 1944, the Visiting Nurse Service of New York (VNSNY) was established as an agency separate from the original Henry Street Settlement.

1953: VNA offers first New Hampshire services in Hanover.

An active Southern Monmouth Auxiliary opened the doors of the Thrift Shop in Manasquan in 1960.

In 1969, these organizations joined forces to form Associated Visiting Nurse Services, Inc. which continued to grow as more volunteer groups became members.

By the early 1970’s, VNA nurses had offices in three low-income housing communities in Arbor Hill.

In 1976, the VNA moved to its present, much larger home, at 35 Colvin Avenue in Albany.

1978: Hospice of the Upper Valley founded to support end-of-life care.

The year 1983 was a big one for VNS Health, with the creation of two major programs: Hospice Care and Personal Care.

To give the agency a vehicle to raise money for these unfunded services, the not-for-profit VNA Foundation was established in 1984.

Visiting Nurses Home Care (VNHC), an affiliated licensed home-care service agency, was founded in 1988 to provide supportive services including certified home health and personal care, licensed practical nursing, and registered professional nursing.

In 1990, our affiliate, Westchester Care at Home, became licensed as a home care agency, providing home health aides and personal care services to the community.

In an effort to make the organization’s identity clear in both Middlesex County and Monmouth County, the agency’s trustees voted in December, 1993 to adopt the name Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey (VNACJ).

1994: Lyme Home Health Agency joins VNA/VNH.

1995: Hospice of the Upper Valley merges with VNA/VNH.

1996: Randolph Area Hospice aligns with VNA/VNH.

VNS Health expanded offerings for children and families and in 1998 began offering health plans to help people stay in their homes and communities safely and independently.

2004: VNA/VNH becomes the Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice of Vermont and New Hampshire.

2007: 100th anniversary of VNA services in Vermont is celebrated.

In 2008, VNA of Central Jersey joined with Visiting Nurse and Hospice Services and partnered with Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital to enhance and expand home and community care options for the residents of Mercer, Somerset, Union, Burlington, Gloucester, and Camden counties.

In 2009, Essex Valley Visiting Nurse Association, serving residents in Essex and Hudson counties, joined the VNACJ family.

In 2011, VNA of Central Jersey, its affiliates and partners joined together as Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) Health Group and added, its most recent member VNA of Englewood.

In a nod to our century-plus history headquartered in Westchester, our agency name was changed in 2013 to VNS Westchester.

In 2014, the agency began providing services in eight additional Capital Region counties.

2016: VNH becomes an affiliate of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health.

In September 2020, Westchester Care at Home changed its name to VNSW at Home to reinforce the relationship between the agencies and to leverage complementary resources to better serve our communities.