LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Visit-
ing Nurse Association of Utica and Oneida County on June 30, 2015

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to recognize that the
quality and character of life in the communities across New York State
are reflective of the concerned and dedicated efforts of those organiza-
tions and individuals who would devote themselves to the welfare of the
community and its citizenry; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to commem-
orate the 100th Anniversary of the Visiting Nurse Association of Utica
and Oneida County, to be celebrated on Tuesday, June 30, 2015, in the
Soggs Room at St. Luke's Home Center for Rehabilitation and Continuing
Care Services, Utica, New York; and
WHEREAS, Since 1915, the Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) of Utica and
Oneida County has been caring for the community's healthcare needs in
the comfort of patient's homes and neighborhoods; for the past Century,
this vital organization has cared for hundreds of thousands of patients;
and
WHEREAS, In July of 1912, a small group of women from Utica, New York,
met to discuss what they could do about the alarmingly high infant death
rate in their community; these remarkable women formed the Baby Welfare
Committee of Utica in an effort to reduce the number of infant deaths by
opening fresh milk and health stations; and
WHEREAS, On June 15, 1915, the Baby Welfare Committee of Utica incor-
porated and the earliest roots of the present-day VNA of Utica and Onei-
da County were planted; and
WHEREAS, Home visits by nurses were an important part of the outreach
provided to young mothers; thousands of home visits were made the first
year, including visits to every baby born in Utica soon after their
birth; as the years went by, the committee identified other medical
concerns it could address, such as infantile paralysis, typhoid fever
and smallpox; and
WHEREAS, In 1947, Utica's Public Health Department assumed responsi-
bility for both maternal and child health services, which led to a reor-
ganization; subsequently, on September 30th of that year, the organiza-
tion officially became the Visiting Nurse Association of Utica, Inc.,
and exclusively provided bedside nursing; and
WHEREAS, Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the VNA began to add more
services, including Meals on Wheels, physical, occupational, and speech
therapy, and training programs for home health aides; and
WHEREAS, Following the creation of Medicaid and Medicare Programs in
July of 1965, the VNA of Utica became a Certified Home Health Agency
(CHHA) approved through New York State, qualified to provide services to
this new patient population; and
WHEREAS, In June of 1977, the present-day VNA of Utica and Oneida
County was created when New York State approved the organization to
serve all of Oneida County; and
WHEREAS, At the turn of the century, the VNA of Utica and Oneida Coun-
ty affiliated with Mohawk Valley Network, the parent organization of
Faxton St. Luke's Healthcare (FSLH); and
WHEREAS, As a part of a combined healthcare system, in 2002, the VNA
of Utica and Oneida County was able to offer the remote patient monitor-
ing service, TeleHealth, and became accredited through the Community
Health Accreditation Program (CHAP) in 2005; and
WHEREAS, In 2010, FSLH received a grant from New York State to improve
long-term and community-based services for Oneida County residents; for

the first time, all of FSLH's home care service entities would be housed
in a single facility in order to streamline and improve the delivery of
services; in January of 2013, the Center for Rehabilitation and Continu-
ing Care Services opened on the St. Luke's Campus; and
WHEREAS, Today, the VNA of Utica and Oneida County serves nearly 2,200
patients, and in 2014, they made more than 63,000 home visits, with more
than 21,000 TeleHealth patient transmissions and assessments; and
WHEREAS, The VNA of Utica and Oneida County provides patients living
in Oneida County with compassionate care and resources specially
selected by a team of physicians, case managers, and therapists; and
WHEREAS, Whether a patient is recovering from surgery or needs help
managing a chronic illness, the agency offers and helps coordinate
numerous services such as advanced wound care, case management, chronic
disease management, high-tech home IV therapy, home health aides, home
TeleHealth technology, and medical social workers, as well as various
therapies, including physical, occupational, speech, respiratory and
nutritional; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when organiza-
tions of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our atten-
tion, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens of
this great Empire State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Visiting Nurse Association of
Utica and Oneida County on June 30, 2015; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to the Visiting Nurse Association of Utica and Oneida County.