Yale New Haven Health and VNA Community Healthcare & Hospice announce integration

New Haven, CT (May 23, 2022) – Yale New Haven Health System (YNHHS) today announced the integration of Visiting Nurse Association Community Healthcare & Hospice (VNACH) with the health system, and its community-based, home-health agency, Home Care Plus Inc.

“Our health system’s hospitals and medical offices rely on expert home health to provide our patients with the extended nursing care and therapies they need in their recovery after illness or injury or to manage them before hospitalization in the comfort of their homes,” said Kathleen O’Leary, vice president, post-acute care services, YNHHS. “VNA Community Healthcare & Hospice has long been known for its excellent patient and whole family care that aligns with our mission and vision.”

The delivery of healthcare has never evolved more rapidly than during the past two years. In order to build scale and provide the full continuum of care for our patients, YNHHS has looked to partnerships with strong organizations who provide outstanding care in in this evolving landscape. VNA Community Healthcare & Hospice has been providing healthcare at home and in the community since 1910, creating healthier community throughout the 35 towns it serves. As our population is more inclined to age in place, this integration enhances Yale New Haven Health’s ability to provide coordinated, high-quality home health services to people throughout the Shoreline region.

“Our mission to promote and preserve the health, safety, dignity and independence of individuals and families has never been more important,” David Cowan, chair of the Board, VNA Community Healthcare & Hospice. “We are excited to join Yale New Haven Health and their mission to provide excellent patient-centered care both in and out of the hospital environment. Our goals are very much aligned, and we look forward to continuing to support our population who want to age in place by providing the critical support services they have come to rely on with VNACH.”

“With overwhelming demand for emergency care and inpatient hospital services, our hospitals needed a multifaceted plan to better manage patients who can be safely and appropriately cared for at home,” O’Leary said. “Most of our patients would rather be in their homes instead of a hospital. What guides our work is doing what is right for our patients. This integration of services is a natural fit for both organizations.”

Yale New Haven Health, which includes Yale New Haven, Bridgeport, Greenwich, Lawrence + Memorial and Westerly hospitals as well as our physician practices of Northeast Medical Group, makes over 25,000 referrals to home care services each year. More than 15,000 of those referrals are concentrated in the Shoreline region.

Yale New Haven Health (YNHHS), the largest and most comprehensive healthcare system in Connecticut, is recognized for advanced clinical care, quality, service, cost effectiveness and commitment to improving the health status of the communities it serves. YNHHS includes five hospitals – Bridgeport, Greenwich, Lawrence + Memorial, Westerly and Yale New Haven hospitals, several specialty networks and Northeast Medical Group, a non-profit medical foundation with several hundred community-based and hospital-employed physicians. YNHHS is affiliated with Yale University and Yale Medicine, the clinical practice of the Yale School of Medicine and the largest academic multi-specialty practice in New England. Yale New Haven Hospital is the primary teaching hospital of Yale School of Medicine. www.ynhhs.org