Honor Visiting Nurse Service

Senate Resolution No. 5801 BY: Senator HANNON COMMEMORATING the 125th Anniversary of the founding of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York WHEREAS, It is the tradition of this Legislative Body to recognize the exceptional contribution of organizations that work to improve the well-being of New York State residents; and WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commemorate the 125th Anniversary of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York; and WHEREAS, In the late 19th century, disease was rampant among the residents of the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the most densely populated area in the world, most of whom were immigrants; and WHEREAS, The Visiting Nurse Service of New York was founded in 1893 by Lillian Wald, a pioneer in the fields of social reform, nursing, and public health, to provide health services, education, and a safety net to the most vulnerable New Yorkers in lower Manhattan; and WHEREAS, For a century and a quarter, the Visiting Nurse Service of New York has helped New Yorkers through numerous crises, including major outbreaks of polio, influenza and diphtheria, the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the

9/11 attacks, and natural disasters; and WHEREAS, The Visiting Nurse Service of New York has led many innovations in home- and community-based care throughout its history, including in nursing care; prenatal, maternal and child health; elder care; chronic disease care; physical therapy; behavioral health care; home health services; and hospice and palliative care; and WHEREAS, The Visiting Nurse Service of New York is the largest not-for-profit home- and community-based health care organization in the United States, providing expert and compassionate care to New Yorkers throughout the State, with programs to support vulnerable and marginalized communities, including ethnic and racial minorities, veterans, LGBTQ individuals, immigrants, the frail elderly, and people living with mental illness and physical disabilities; and WHEREAS, Today, the Visiting Nurse Service of New York provides a wide array of high-quality, cost-effective services, including skilled home care, hospice, population health, Nurse-Family Partnership, Community Mental Health Services, Naturally Occurring Retirement Community services, and Medicaid and Medicare health plans; and WHEREAS, In 2017, the Visiting Nurse Service of New York employed more than 13,000 individuals, including more than 1,500 nurses and 9,200 home health aides who collectively speak more than 50 languages, touching more than 48,500 lives on any given day as it provided more than 1.3 million clinical visits and 32 million home health aide hours to more than 135,000 patients ranging in age from newborn to over 110 years old; and WHEREAS, Care provided by the Visiting Nurse Service of New York has resulted in greater health equity and enabled countless New Yorkers, to remain safe and healthy in their homes and communities; and WHEREAS, The Visiting Nurse Service of New York provided over $47 million in charitable care and community benefit programs in 2017, including $7 million in free and discounted home care services to more than 8,500 under- and uninsured New Yorkers; and WHEREAS, The mission of this organization has remained consistent for over one hundred years: to promote the health and well-being of patients, members, and families by providing expert, accessible, and cost-effective health care in the home and community; and WHEREAS, It is the custom of this Legislative Body that, when organizations of such extraordinary achievement are brought to our attention, they should be celebrated and recognized by all citizens of this great state; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to commemorate the 125th Anniversary of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the Visiting Nurse Service of New York.