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September 06, 2007

(SYRACUSE, NY)- The Visiting Nurse Association of Central New York, Inc. is pleased to announce that they are participating in a research project entitled, “Depression in Older Home Health Patients: Increasing Access to Evidence-Based Care.” Community Health Care Services Foundation Inc., (CHC), an affiliate of the New York State Association of Health Care Providers (HCP), received a grant for $149,783 from the New York State Health Foundation (NYSHealth) to work in conjunction with Cornell University on the research project. Four home care agencies, all members of HCP, were invited to participate. CHC has provided additional resources and project coordination including, data collection, set-up and participation in both on-site and web-based training programs, and dissemination activities.

The project is aimed at increasing access to evidence-based care and improving outcomes of elderly home care patients who are suffering from depression. It will attempt to demonstrate the feasibility, acceptability and effectiveness of implementing a “Depression Management Carepath” (CAREPATH) in four geographic regions of New York State. CAREPATH is an evidence-based care management tool designed in collaboration with, and specifically for, home care nurses and their acute care medical/surgical patients who suffer from co-occurring depression.

“We are very fortunate to participate in this project. Our nurses have garnered a significant amount of valuable training during the course of the project and naturally our patients are already greatly benefiting from it,” said Indi L. Shelby, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Visiting Nurse Association of Central New York, Inc. “The knowledge they have obtained will be carried throughout the duration of their careers.”

Since January, over 75 registered nurses from the invited agencies have been trained as part of the study. Training is conducted by both CHC and the Joan and Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell University and all agencies are required to submit data on a weekly basis. While all RN’s began their training in highly interactive, classroom style setting at their respective agencies, they were later divided into two groups receiving different training tracks. Now in its data collection phase, a completed report comparing data from the two groups is expected in December 2007.

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Visiting Nurse Association of Central New York, Inc. delivers nursing services, medical social work and rehabilitation services, including physical, occupational and speech therapy to patients throughout Onondaga County. The goal of this comprehensive and focused approach is to improve the quality of each patient’s life and help them safely achieve maximum independence. It can also reduce hospital stays and prevent or delay institutionalized care. Patients include seniors, new mothers and their newborns, children, disabled workers, and persons of any age who are chronically ill, recovering from acute illness, or post-surgical and in need of wound care. The Visiting Nurse Association of Central New York, Inc., is a not-for-profit agency and part of VNA Systems, Inc.

CHC, an affiliate of the New York State Association of Health Care Providers, is a nonprofit educational and research foundation dedicated to the development of high-quality education for home care, hospice and other community-based providers in New York.

The Joan and Sanford I. Weill Medical College of Cornell University is among the top ranked medical college in the country, according to U.S. News and World Report. The Weill Cornell Homecare Research Partnership is supported by the National Institute for Mental Health and research grants with the goal of improving quality and outcomes of mental health care for home care patients. Weill Cornell investigators develop interventions in collaboration with agencies to increase the success of the project in the “real world.”

The Cornell Homecare Research Partnership is supported by infrastructure (NIMH) and research grants with the goal of improving quality and outcomes of mental health care for home care patients. Cornell develops interventions in collaboration with agencies with the expectation that a participatory approach will increase feasibility, acceptability, effectiveness, & sustainability in the “real world’.

The New York State Health Foundation was established in 2002 to receive the charitable funds resulting from the conversion of Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield from a non-profit to a for-profit corporation.

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