Douglas County Visiting Nurses was founded in 1969 to fill a need within the community. VNA has served the community by providing in-home care to patients, regardless of their ability to pay for services, ever since. If it weren’t for community support and collaboration, this wouldn’t have been possible for the last 56 years. Support from donors, charitable foundations, volunteers, the city, county, and community partners have allowed VNA to continue its mission, even in tough times. Some partnerships, such as the sharing of facilities with Bert Nash and Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health, have long histories. Other partnerships have developed more recently.
JoAnna and Kristine stopped at their first delivery of the day for a quick photo before continuing their deliveries for Dillons Floral (6th & Wakarusa).
In recent years, VNA has partnered with the Dillons Floral Department (6th & Wakarusa), to make flower deliveries around Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day for donations to support VNA’s mission. This mutually beneficial partnership provides the Dillons Floral Department with delivery help on some of their busiest days, while VNA brings in funds to care for patients. It also provides some of VNA’s office staff the fun opportunity to get out into the community and meet people, something VNA’s clinical field does every day. The staff members who make the deliveries always wear VNA apparel to maximize the opportunity to be visible in the community. This practice has also led to some special interactions between VNA staff and former patients or family members of former patients who share their gratitude for their experiences with VNA. Sometimes, specific clinicians are mentioned or asked about after leaving a lasting impression for the compassionate care and kindness they showed to a patient and their family members. These kind messages of appreciation are always happily relayed to clinical staff.
Members of VNA's Business Development team accept a donation from Amber of Dillons Floral Department after making flower deliveries for Valentine's Day. (from left to right: Kristine - Community Wellness Liaison, Andrea - Business Development Manager, Amber - Dillons Floral, JoAnna - HR/Development Specialist).
This community collaboration feels especially appropriate because of the love at the heart of it all. There are certainly parallels between the joy of presenting someone with flowers from a loved one and the feeling VNA’s clinical staff have about taking care of their patients. In the end, it is a partnership that benefits all involved, including those who open their door to a surprise bouquet of beautiful flowers.