Where The

Healing Begins

To the Editor:

When you are sick, where would you rather be treated? Chances are you would prefer the security and comfort of your own home. More than 4.5 million people would agree with you, which is why the Danbury Visiting Nurse celebrates National Home Care Month this November.

As we face the stiff challenges of state budget crises and an attempt on the House of Representatives to cut payments to Medicare home health providers, it is fitting that we take a moment to pay tribute to the phenomenon of home care in America.

When family members, friends, and neighbors are struggling with a disability, a chronic illness, or recovering from a recent hospital stay, home care provides the solution. Modern day home care enables patients to be cared for in the comfort of their own homes with state-of-the-art clinical services. No longer do hospital stays need to be extended or does longterm care need to be provided in an institutional setting.

Why do we celebrate? More than just providing excellent care where and when the patient needs and wants it, home care saves billions of health care dollars each year. There is no more cost-effective provider in our country.

The Danbury VNA not only celebrates National Home Care Month but at the same time celebrates its 93 years of providing services in the greater Danbury area. Today we are a state-of-the-art organization with the highest standard of service, which combines care, compassion, and cost-effectiveness.

As we prepare for Thanksgiving and recall our many gifts, please remember the home care professionals who make a difference each day for area seniors, the disabled, and the infirmed. They make it possible for the Danbury VNA to be where the healing begins.

Sincerely,

Mary Ann Faraguna

4 Liberty Street, Danbury                                      November 17, 2003