The 2020 legislative session is fast approaching. It will be the second year of a two-year biennium which means any bill that had not yet passed at the end of the 2019 legislative session picks up where it left off. Controversial bills often require a full two-year biennium to make it through the entire…
My maternal grandmother – Nana – was a central figure in my life growing up. When she was young, she was a talented seamstress who sewed wedding dresses for fancy customers. When she got married, she stayed at home and raised two daughters who were born “during the War.” Once the childrearing was done,…
My son—my youngest child—is applying to college this year. Lately, when he’s not talking about his standings in his fantasy football league, he’s talking about standardized tests and writing his college essay. He’s a great kid. Smart and inquisitive. Warm and empathetic. He would be an awesome nurse.…
Last week the Orleans/Essex Visiting Nurse Association celebrated it’s 50th anniversary with a celebration that included the agency’s founder. This is the third 50th anniversary celebration for a member agency that I’ve attended this year. The timing is no coincidence. The bill that created the Medicare…
A pair of bi-partisan companion bills are gaining momentum in Congress. H.R. 2573 and S. 433 protect older and disabled Americans. The bills improve a federal home health payment reform that goes into effect on January 1, 2019 – the first major overhaul of the current payment model in nearly two decades.…
Vermont’s home health and hospice agencies are implementing the new Regulations for the Designation and Operations of Home Health Agencies, the first major overhaul to the regulations since 2007. Over the last several years, the VNAs of Vermont has actively advocated for the rule to be consistent with…
This week, I was interested to see long-term care and independence at home get injected into national politics. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders shared a Washington Post piece on Twitter about the challenges facing Maine’s long-term care system (lots of older people, fewer young people) and naming Vermont…
State update
A new home health designation rule goes into effect on October 1, 2019. The rule is essentially a licensing regulation and covers the core services home health and hospice agencies provide including skilled home health (i.e., nursing and therapy services), hospice and long-term care at…
Last week, I had the honor of speaking at a celebration for the 50thAnniversary of Franklin County Home Health Agency (FCHHA). The line-up of speakers included the creative and dedicated nurses who founded the agency and the first executive director to lead the agency. They shared stories about hatching…
1969.Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. The first Gap store opened.Elvis Presley made a comeback.The price of a gallon of milk was 36 cents.The price of a postage stamp was four cents.And the dream of building a home health agency in Franklin County came to fruition. That’s the way Franklin County Home…
The 2020 legislative session is fast approaching. It will be the second year of a two-year biennium which means any bill that had not yet passed at the end of the 2019 legislative session picks up where it left off. Controversial bills often require a full two-year biennium to make it through the entire…
My maternal grandmother – Nana – was a central figure in my life growing up. When she was young, she was a talented seamstress who sewed wedding dresses for fancy customers. When she got married, she stayed at home and raised two daughters who were born “during the War.” Once the childrearing was done,…
My son—my youngest child—is applying to college this year. Lately, when he’s not talking about his standings in his fantasy football league, he’s talking about standardized tests and writing his college essay. He’s a great kid. Smart and inquisitive. Warm and empathetic. He would be an awesome nurse.…
Last week the Orleans/Essex Visiting Nurse Association celebrated it’s 50th anniversary with a celebration that included the agency’s founder. This is the third 50th anniversary celebration for a member agency that I’ve attended this year. The timing is no coincidence. The bill that created the Medicare…
A pair of bi-partisan companion bills are gaining momentum in Congress. H.R. 2573 and S. 433 protect older and disabled Americans. The bills improve a federal home health payment reform that goes into effect on January 1, 2019 – the first major overhaul of the current payment model in nearly two decades.…
Vermont’s home health and hospice agencies are implementing the new Regulations for the Designation and Operations of Home Health Agencies, the first major overhaul to the regulations since 2007. Over the last several years, the VNAs of Vermont has actively advocated for the rule to be consistent with…
This week, I was interested to see long-term care and independence at home get injected into national politics. Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders shared a Washington Post piece on Twitter about the challenges facing Maine’s long-term care system (lots of older people, fewer young people) and naming Vermont…
State update
A new home health designation rule goes into effect on October 1, 2019. The rule is essentially a licensing regulation and covers the core services home health and hospice agencies provide including skilled home health (i.e., nursing and therapy services), hospice and long-term care at…
Last week, I had the honor of speaking at a celebration for the 50thAnniversary of Franklin County Home Health Agency (FCHHA). The line-up of speakers included the creative and dedicated nurses who founded the agency and the first executive director to lead the agency. They shared stories about hatching…
1969.Neil Armstrong walked on the moon. The first Gap store opened.Elvis Presley made a comeback.The price of a gallon of milk was 36 cents.The price of a postage stamp was four cents.And the dream of building a home health agency in Franklin County came to fruition. That’s the way Franklin County Home…
