December 1 - 7 is National Influenza Vaccination Week
It’s Not Too Late!

It’s that time of year again — flu season. As family and friends are gathering for the holidays, flu activity is increasing. Get a flu vaccine now if you have not gotten vaccinated yet this season.

There are many reasons to get a flu vaccine. Flu vaccination can reduce your risk of flu illness, doctors’ visits, and missed work and school due to flu. Even if you are vaccinated and still get sick, flu vaccine can reduce the severity of your illness. Flu vaccination also can help protect women during and after pregnancy and protect the baby born to a vaccinated mom for several months after birth. Flu vaccine also has been shown to save children’s lives, prevent serious events associated with chronic lung disease, diabetes and heart disease, and prevent flu-related hospitalization among working age adults and older adults. Getting vaccinated isn’t just about keeping you healthy; it’s also about helping to protect others around you who may be vulnerable to becoming very sick, such as babies, older adults, and pregnant women.

It’s not too late to get a flu vaccine to protect yourself and your loved ones this flu season!

Fore more information, click here.
Get Your Flu Shot Here!
It's time to get your flu shot!
Flu season runs from October to May, with most cases happening from late December to early March. But the flu vaccine is usually offered from September until mid-November. Getting vaccinated before the flu season is in full force gives the body a chance to build up immunity to (protection from) the virus.

Get your flu shot at Visiting Nurses of the Lower Valley
Monday - Friday from 8am - 4pm
Please call us at 860-767-0186 prior to visit to make sure a nurse is available.
3 Actions to Fight the Flu!
VNLV Named to the 2019 ABILITY HomeCare Elite
Visiting Nurses of the Lower Valley has been named to the 2019 HomeCare Elite, a recognition of the top-performing home health agencies in the United States. For 14 years, HomeCare Elite has annually identified the top 25 percent of Medicare-certified agencies and highlighted the top 100 and top 500 agencies overall.
The ranking is developed by ABILITY® Network, a leading information technology company helping providers and payers simplify the administrative and clinical complexities of healthcare. It is sponsored by DecisionHealth, publisher of Home Health Line and the Complete Home Health ICD-10-CM Diagnosis Coding Manual.

“We’re pleased to recognize Visiting Nurses of the Lower Valley for exemplifying best practice in patient care,” said Christine Lang, senior director for ABILITY Network. Visiting Nurses of the Lower Valley’s home health professionals have demonstrated exceptional commitment to care quality and the patient experience.”

Susan Maxwell, Executive Director of Visiting Nurses of the Lower Valley, credits collaboration of staff and their dedication to excellence with the agency’s capability to achieve recognition as one of the HomeCare Elite.

“Congratulations to Visiting Nurses of the Lower Valley from all of the staff at DecisionHealth,” said Marci Geipe, product manager for Decision Health. “Your leadership and staff have placed a premium on the patient care your agency provides as showcased by your quality outcome scores. The entire community benefits from the compassion that your staff shows toward your patients, leading to cost savings for the entire healthcare system.”

HomeCare Elite agencies are determined by an analysis of performance measures in quality outcomes, best practices implementation, patient experience (HHCAHPS), quality improvement and consistency, and financial health. In order to be considered, an agency must be Medicare-certified and have data for at least three outcomes in Home Health Compare. Out of 8,818 agencies considered, 2,207 are recognized on the 2019 HomeCare Elite winners list overall. The entire list of 2019 HomeCare Elite agencies can be downloaded by visiting the ABILITY Network website at www.abilitynetwork.com/homecare-elite.
Holiday Recipe:
Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate and Hazelnuts
Ingredients:


  • 1 1/4 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 3 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
  • Seeds from 1 pomegranate
  • 1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted hazelnuts
  • Finely grated zest of 1 lime
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
Directions:

  • Preheat the oven to 375.
  • Put the Brussels sprouts in a medium roasting pan; toss with the canola oil and season with salt and pepper.
  • Roast in the oven until light golden brown and a knife inserted into the centers goes in without any resistance, about 45 minutes.
  • Transfer the sprouts to a large bowl and add the pomegranate molasses, pomegranate seeds, hazelnuts, and lime and orange zests.
  • Season with salt as needed.


Content Credit: Food Network
We're Hiring!
Visiting Nurses of the Lower Valley is Hiring:
 Weekend On Call RN

Job Description:
Registered nurse to work every other weekend on-call Saturday 8:00 a.m. – Monday 8:00 a.m. Candidate to triage calls, and make scheduled and unscheduled visits.

Job Requirements:
BSN preferred. One year of med surg experience required; previous homecare experience and computerized documentation experience required. Please submit resume to info@visitingnurses.org.

Please submit resume to: info@visitingnurses.org .
Let's Stay Connected!
To learn more about Visiting Nurses of the Lower Valley, click here .
To learn more about Lower Valley Care Advocates, click here.
  Questions? Call Us! 860-767-0186