[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 84 (Monday, June 8, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1334-E1335]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING THE VISITING NURSE SERVICES OF CONNECTICUT ON THEIR CENTENNIAL 
                              ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, June 8, 2009

  Ms. DeLAURO. Madam Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to rise today 
and extend my sincere congratulations to Visiting Nurse Services of 
Connecticut as they celebrate their centennial anniversary. This is a 
very special milestone for this organization--a non-profit health care 
provider and innovative leader in providing home health care needs to 
individuals in more than fifty communities across Connecticut.
  In March of 1909, eighty women representing twenty-one churches and 
charitable organizations met to discuss their concerns about the spread 
of tuberculosis and came to the conclusion that the solution was to 
secure and finance a visiting nurse to treat patients and teach others 
in the community how to protect themselves and their families from this 
devastating disease. These women also understood the importance of 
involving the community in their efforts. They contacted local 
businesses, churches, and social groups to explain their plans and 
solicit funds to support it. With the hiring of Miss Finnegan, who made 
her home visits around the City of Bridgeport on her bicycle, the 
foundation for Visiting Nurse Services of Connecticut was laid.
  Over the course of the last century, Visiting Nurse Services of 
Connecticut expanded to meet the growing and changing needs of our 
communities. Today, Visiting Nurse Services of Connecticut provides 
skilled nursing care, hospice care, therapy/rehabilitative services, 
medical social work assistance, and home health aide services for 
thousands of patients each year in Fairfield, New Haven and Litchfield 
counties. The commitment of the administration and staff remains as 
strong today as it was in the agency's earliest years. In the last 
hundred years, there have been many changes at the agency, however, at 
its heart has always been the desire to provide affordable, quality 
health care to those most in need and improve their quality of life.

[[Page E1335]]

  Humor, Excellence, Attitude, Respect, Teamwork--HEART--is at the core 
of this agency's mission. ``Bringing HEART to Health Care'' is so much 
more than a slogan--it is the essence of their philosophy and the 
culture of this very special organization. For one hundred years, 
Visiting Nurse Services of Connecticut has been an invaluable resource 
to countless individuals and families in need. I am proud to stand 
today and extend my heartfelt congratulations on their centennial 
anniversary and my very best wishes for many more years of success.

                          ____________________