Visiting Nurse Association of South Central Connecticut Records,
1905-1987
MC 105

Extent:6.0 linear feet

Provenance:Visiting Nurse Association of South Central Connecticut

Access:This collection is unrestricted

Citation:Visiting Nurse Association of South Central Connecticut records, Center for the Study of the History of Nursing, School of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania

Historical Sketch. The Visiting Nurse Association of South Central Connecticut, founded in 1904 as the Visiting Nurse Association of New Haven, began its first full year of service in 1905 under the leadership of Lillian E. Prudden, its first board president. That year, the agency's first visiting nurse, Miss Mary Grace Hills, made 1500 home visits.

Since its establishment, the Association has had as its objective "to meet community health needs" of New Haven and surrounding areas. In 1920, in cooperation with the American Red Cross, Yale University's Department of Public Health, and the City Department of Health, a health center demonstration project was initiated to provide preventative and curative health services. In 1922, to provide more effective nursing care services for families and patients, services became generalized; that is, one staff nurse would provide all public health nursing services to one family instead of several staff nurses visiting the same family.

During the 1960s, with support from United Way, groups such as the New Haven Foundation, and the cooperation of local departments of health, the Association provided community health care to East Haven, New Haven, West Haven and Milford. Also the agency entered into a contractual arrangement with the City of New Haven to provide nursing staff for the Department of Health's health program services in sixty of New Haven's public and parochial schools. In addition, nursing service was provided in twenty pre-kindergarten centers sponsored by the City's Department of Education.

The VNA of New Haven was much involved and active with other community social and health agencies and school districts. For instance, in 1961, the agency participated in: the Cooperative Care Project which provided care to mentally ill patients and their families for a five year period; the Conte School Demonstration Project for the implementation of generalized public health nursing service in the elementary schools of selected New Haven districts; and the demonstration project at Yale-New Haven Medical Center for comprehensive family health care services by assigning a staff nurse as a team member.

During the late 1960s and 1970s, the agency found it necessary to direct its efforts toward meeting the home care needs of the chronically ill, the handicapped and the elderly while simultaneously maintaining the New Haven school nursing services. This resulted in curtailment of preventative health care services. The agency's clientele, as in other cities, was increasingly living longer and needing assistance to cope with the effects of long-term illness (rather than acute illness). This phenomenon, along with escalating costs of institutional care, increased governmental and public awareness of the advantages of in-home health care services.

After several years of collaborative working relationships, a formal contract became effective with Connecticut Hospice, Inc. (1978) for the Visiting Nurse Association to provide home health aides and nursing and physical therapy services to patients in the Hospice Home Care Program. The Visiting Nurse Association of New Haven, since its founding, has responded to changing social and health problems and continues to be in the forefront in meeting its community's needs.

Milford Visiting Nurse Association was founded in 1919. The minutes of the February 15, 1944 board meeting documents planning for the agency's twenty-fifth anniversary of April, 1944. In that meeting, Mrs. Harold Hawkins, a former agency president, informed the group that Mrs. Snyder's (formerly the agency's board secretary) home was burglarized. Much of her personal property was stolen together with the records of the Association. These were never recovered; therefore, details covering that period were not available. The agency was originally known as the Milford Public Health Nursing Association, but in 1948, when the agency officially incorporated, its name was changed to the Milford Visiting Nurse Association.

In the late 1950s and 1960s, in response to restructuring health care systems, the association did a study of the effectiveness of its services and the impact of medicare certification. The study's report indicates the Association would have difficulties finding a qualified nursing director and it faced administration problems. The report recommended a joint meeting of the Milford Visiting Nurse Association with the New Haven Visiting Nurse Association board of directors to develop a plan for coordinating services. The two agencies met on September 15, 1966 when a contract was signed to enable the Milford VNA to purchase nursing supervisory and administration services from the New Haven Visiting Nurse Association. The home care and maternal/child care services offered by the Milford VNA were continued under the supervision and consultative services of the New Haven VNA.

Summary. The Agency was founded in May 4, 1904 with the first full year of service beginning in 1905. This collection includes records mainly from the 1930's to 1990's, with the exception of the Home Economics Committee minutes from 1920-1931 and history of nutrition service (1911-1949). The documents are of the Association's service evaluations, National League for Nursing accreditation, committee planning for meeting community health and service needs, annual reports (1960-1993) and service manuals.

Series Description. This collection has been arranged into two subgroups as follows:


Subgroup 1. Visiting Nurse Association of South Central Connecticut
Series I. Administration, 1911-1987. This series includes the Association's committee reports and minutes (1932-1976). It provides documentation of evaluating service programs (1975-1979) as well as National League for Nursing and American Public Health Association Accreditation Reports (1966-1979); short and long-range plan (1980-1987); events and accomplishments (1959-1965); and financial data (1943-1973).

Series II. History, 1905-1979. This small series consists of a chronological development of agencies services (1905-1979) and records of the Associations's celebration of its 70th anniversary (1974).

Series III. Studies and Projects, 1960-1978. Found in this series are studies and projects done in relationship with other community agencies such as, development of the first hospice program, (1969-1978); community needs assessment study (1982); and the home health aide projects (1967)

Series IV. Service Manuals, 1968-1974. Included in this series are manuals of policies and procedures for the implementation of patient care services and for documentation of care provided back in the home and clinics.

Subgroup 2. Milford (Connecticut) Visiting Nurse Association
Series I. Administration, 1937-1978. This series includes annual and board meeting minutes (1972-1978); reports of annual committee and board president; and a loose-leaf book of board meeting minutes (1937-1958).

Subgroup 1. Visiting Nurse Association of South Central Connecticut
Series I. Administration, 1911-1987
Box 1
f.1 The Board Member, (guide for administrative responsibilities), 1936
f.2 Board Members Manual, 1966

f.3 AdHoc Committee on Proprietary Agency issues, correspondence, minutes, reference data, 1975-1976
f.4 Education Committee, correspondence and committee meeting minutes, 1936-1955

f.5 12/27/20 - 12/10/25
f.6 1/14/26 - 11/19/30

f.7 Committee, meeting minutes and history 1945-1962
f.8 History of Nutrition Service, 1911-1949
f.9 Medical Professional Advisory Committee, 1974

f.10 1939-1959
f.11 1960-1969
f.12 1971
f.13 1972-1973

f.14 1932-1937
f.15 1938-1941

Box 2
f.16 1942-1946
f.17 1947-1949
f.18 1955-1957
f.19 1958-1960
f.20 1961-1962
f.21 1975
f.22 1976

f.23 1935-1938
f.24 1939-1949
f.25 1950-1955
f.26 1956-1959

f.27 Board and staff organization chart, 1974

f.28 Organizational Structure, changes and revisions
f.29 Financial Management
f.30 Annual Report
f.31 Time Data and Statistical Analysis
f.32 Committee Meeting Minutes

Box 3
f.33 Maternal and Child Health Services-Evaluation SubCommittee
f.34 Maternal and Child Health Services-Evaluation SubCommittee
f.35 Maternal and Child Health Services-Evaluation SubCommittee

f.36 Organization Structure, changes and revisions
f.37 Financial Management
f.38 Statistical Analysis
f.39 Medical Direction
f.40 Committee Meeting Minutes
f.41 School Nursing Services
f.42 School Nursing Services
f.43 Illness Program Evaluation
f.44 Illness Program Evaluation
f.45 Illness Program Evaluation
f.46 Social Service and patient care review program
f.47 Patient care review
f.48 Maternal and Child Health Services and Child Health Conference Programs evaluation, 1975

f.49 Unit I-VI
f.50 Unit VII

Box 4
f.51 Unit VIII

f.52 Units I-II
f.53 Units III-X

f.54 pages 1-24
f.55 pages 25-73
f.56 pages 74-128

f.57 pages 1-65, organization and administration
f.58 pages 66-117, program
f.59 pages 118-195, staff, resources, future plans

f.60 pages 1-32
f.61 pages 33-82
f.62 pages 83-116
f.63 pages 117-134

Box 5

f.64 pages 1-30 (includes addendum correspondence)
f.65 pages 31-50
f.66 pages 51-73
f.67 pages 74-90
f.68 pages 91-100
f.69 pages 101-120
f.70 pages 121-139
f.71 pages 140-162

f.72 Sections I-IV, pages 1-12
f.73 Section V, pages 13-13.69
f.74 Section VI, pages 14-14.31 - 15-15M

f.75 Illness program objectives
f.76 Illness service program - summary of record audit
f.77 Illness service objective evaluation committee
f.78 Illness service objective evaluation committee

f.79 Fiscal year, 1985
f.80 Fiscal year, 1986
f.81 Fiscal year, 1987

Box 6

f.82 1959-1960
f.83 1961-1962
f.84 1963-
f.85 1964
f.86 1965

f.87 1943-1957
f.88 1958-1961
f.89 1962-1963
f.90 1964-1965

f.91 1951-1959
f.92 1960-1965
f.93 Cost per-visit analysis, 1939-1949
f.94 Cost study data, April, 1949
f.95 Statistical and Billing Procedure, 1973

Box 7

f.96 pages 1-31a
f.97 pages 32-57
f.98 Home Health Aides, pages 1-15c
f.99 Job descriptions - pages 1-13
f.100 Job descriptions - pages 14-34

f.101 pages 1-29
f.102 pages 30-69

f.103 pages 1-22
f.104 Exhibit I-IX

f.105 Interaction with Board of Directors; analysis papers and suggested opinions

f.106 1980
f.107 1981
f.108 1982

f.109 Educational Handout and Analysis paper, full

Box 8
f.110 Summary of position paper, for strategic plan and suggested options
f.111 Committee meeting minutes, 1982-1983
f.112 Long-range plan, 1983-1987

Series II. History, 1905-1979
f.1 Chronological development of agency services, 1905-1979
f.2 "The VNA House" (history of headquarters for VNA) 1930's

f.3 Proclamation, "Visiting Nurse Association of New Haven Week," May 5-11, 1974, Office of the Mayor, 1974
f.4 70th Anniversary Birthday Celebration activities, 1974

See also History of Nutrition Services in Series I (Box 1, Folder 8)

Series III. Studies and Projects, 1960-1978

f.1 Cooperative Care Project, 1960-1965
f.2 Conte School, Wooster Square, Farnum courts Area Demonstration Project (Focus, demonstrate more effective community nursing service), Final report, 1965

f.3 Profile for Home Health Aide Pilot Training Project - grant application, 1969
f.4 Final Report-1966-1967
f.5 Proposal for expansion of home health services, 1976

f.6 Planning, correspondence and hospice publication, 1969-1978
f.7 Program- The Connecticut Hospice Inc Cornerstone Laying, October, 1972
f.8 Book- First American Hospice, Three Years of Home Care, Lack and Buckingham, Hospice, Inc, 1978
f.9 Short-term Hospital, Special: Hospice, State of Connecticut, State Dept. of Health, regulations-draft, 1978

f.10 Community Needs Assessment Study, Summary Report, 1982
f.11 New Haven Study, "Relationship between Public Health Nursing and Medical Social Service," 1940
f.12 Relationships between the Health Department and The Visiting Nurse Association, 1961

Box 9
f.13 Visiting Nurse Association of New Haven, by Hedwig Cohen, August, 1961
f.14 Physical Therapy, 1966-1967

Series IV. Service Manuals, 1968-1974

f.1 pages 1-25C
f.2 pages 26-69

f.3 pages 1-25C
f.4 pages 26-69
f.5 Record Manual- Child Health and Maternal Health 1974

f.6 pages 1-19
f.7 pages 20-36
f.8 Patient Care Service Policies, 1969

f.9 pages 1-22
f.10 pages 23-47
f.11 Appendix I-V
f.12 Appendix VI-X
f.13 Family Planning Clinic, 1972

f.14 Program and Service Policies; and Organization
f.15 Conference Session, procedure and process; immunizations
f.16 Pre-kindergarten Health Program (first Headstart Program), 1972

Box 10

f.17 Units 1-6
f.18 Units 7-8

Subgroup 2. Milford Visiting Nurse Association
Series I. Administration, 1937-1968

f.1 1972
f.2 1973
f.3 1974
f.4 1975
f.5 1976
f.6 1977
f.7 1978

f.8 1950-1956
f.9 1957-1958
f.10 1959-1960
f.11 1961-1962
f.12 1963
f.13 1964
f.14 1965
f.15 1965-1968
f.16 Milford Public Health Nursing Association, 1937-1944. Name changed to Milford Visiting Nurse Association, board meeting minutes, (loose-leaf book) 1937-1959

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