VNS Nurse Receives National Recognition

BRIDGEPORT- Visiting Nurse Services (VNS) of Connecticut Wound Care Manager Cherie Sapia has been selected at Connecticut’s representative to the 2013 Nurse Recognition Program sponsored by the National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) and the Home Healthcare Nurses Association (HHNA). Winners from each of the 50 states will gather at the NAHC Annual Meeting & Exposition at National Harbor, Maryland, outside of Washington D.C. October 31st to be recognized for their achievement.

Ms. Sapia, a Litchfield resident, arrived at VNS’s Torrington branch, located at 65 Commercial Boulevard, in 2009 as the agency’s second wound care manager. She received her advanced wound care education from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia in 2002. She attended St. Luke’s Hospital School of Nursing where she earned her nursing diploma in 1969 and then went on to complete graduate work in gerontology at the University of New Haven and to earn her B.A. in psychology from Marymount Manhattan College in 1974.

Over her 10 year tenure at VNS, Ms. Sapia has been a strong patient care advocate and has been actively involved in planning and implementing a wide variety of clinical and organizational initiatives. She has also been a valuable resource to her fellow agency clinicians, developing and mentoring them in home healthcare protocols and care delivery. Her energy and determination was widely recognized throughout the agency, resulting in her receiving VNS’ employee of the year award—The Chairman’s Award—in 2009.

“Cherie has been an invaluable member of our staff,” says Torrington Branch Clinical Director Nan Merbaum. “She is leader, constantly advancing her knowledge, tending to patients at all hours and mentoring her fellow staff members to help them become excellent clinicians. We are very proud of her and excited about her receiving this national recognition. It is well deserved.”

“VNS has a century-long tradition of providing the finest in home health and, later, hospice, services and Cherie is a shining example of what makes our staff special,” said VNS President and Chief Executive Officer William F. Sullivan, Jr. “She exemplifies our agency’s values, focusing on best practices and compassionate care delivery to help her patients recover in the place they most want to be, their own homes. VNS and Connecticut will be well represented in Washington this fall.”

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Visiting Nurse Services of Connecticut is one of the state’s largest non-profit home health care organizations, serving residents of 54 cities and towns in Fairfield, New Haven and Litchfield Counties. VNS provides a comprehensive range of services including skilled nursing care, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, medical social work and home health aide assistance. VNS Specialty Services include Hi-Tech Home IV Therapy, Wound Care, Psychiatric Nursing, Pain Management, Palliative Care, Nutritional Counseling, Elder Care Planning. The VNS Hospice at Home Program™ provides comprehensive home care for terminally ill patients and their families. VNS affiliate, Partners in Care, offers live-in and sleep-in home health aide services as well as the VoiceCare personal emergency response system. For more information, visit our website at vnsct.org.