[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 8 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        S.Con.Res.8
                                     Agreed to November 19, 2004        

                       One Hundred Eighth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

          Begun and held at the City of Washington on Tuesday,
           the twentieth day of January, two thousand and four


                          Concurrent Resolution

Whereas visiting nurse associations (``VNAs'') are nonprofit home 
  health agencies that, for more than 120 years, have been united in 
  their mission to provide cost-effective and compassionate home and 
  community-based health care to individuals, regardless of the 
  individuals' condition or ability to pay for services;
Whereas there are approximately 500 visiting nurse associations, which 
  employ more than 90,000 clinicians, provide health care to more than 
  4,000,000 people each year, and provide a critical safety net in 
  communities by developing a network of community support services 
  that enable individuals to live independently at home;
Whereas visiting nurse associations have historically served as primary 
  public health care providers in their communities, and are today one 
  of the largest providers of mass immunizations in the medicare 
  program (delivering more than 2,500,000 influenza immunizations 
  annually);
Whereas visiting nurse associations are often the home health providers 
  of last resort, serving the most chronic of conditions (such as 
  congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 
  AIDS, and quadriplegia) and individuals with the least ability to pay 
  for services (more than 50 percent of all medicaid home health 
  admissions are by visiting nurse associations);
Whereas any visiting nurse association budget surplus is reinvested in 
  supporting the association's mission through services, including 
  charity care, adult day care centers, wellness clinics, Meals-on-
  Wheels, and immunization programs;
Whereas visiting nurse associations and other nonprofit home health 
  agencies care for the highest percentage of terminally ill and 
  bedridden patients;
Whereas thousands of visiting nurse association volunteers across the 
  Nation devote time serving as individual agency board members, 
  raising funds, visiting patients in their homes, assisting in 
  wellness clinics, and delivering meals to patients;
Whereas the establishment of a National Visiting Nurse Association Week 
  would increase public awareness of the charity-based missions of 
  visiting nurse associations and of their ability to meet the needs of 
  chronically ill and disabled individuals who prefer to live at home 
  rather than in a nursing home, and would spotlight preventive health 
  clinics, adult day care programs, and other customized wellness 
  programs that meet local community needs; and
Whereas the second week of May 2005 is an appropriate week to establish 
  as National Visiting Nurse Association Week: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), 
That it is the sense of Congress that there should be established a 
National Visiting Nurse Association Week.
  Attest:

                                               Secretary of the Senate.

  Attest:

                                 Clerk of the House of Representatives.