A Brief History of Our Agency
VNA began in 1934 to assist new mothers and their infants and expanded services to provide for home healthcare to all ages, including rehabilitative therapies.
Over the years, VNA services have changed to meet the ever-changing needs of the community. For example:
- In the 30's, 40's, 50's & 60's, TB was a problem so we started TB nursing.
- In the 40's, returning war veterans needed rehabilitation and rehab services were started.
- When AIDS became a problem we started an AIDS team.
In 1973, the Women's Council of Dallas asked the VNA to become the sponsor of the local Meals on Wheels program which the Council had begun in Dallas in 1957 as an all-volunteer project. This program has grown from 173 meals per day in 1973 to about 2400 home delivered meals per day this year, over 6,000 total meals prepared by the VNA kitchen per day. This figure includes the privately funded children's meals served to children in specific day care centers.
In 1978, we started a home hospice demonstration project in Dallas. For those of you who may not know about this program, it is one which serves the needs of terminally ill patients who wish to die at home. Hospice provides for pain control, emotional support and special care. The entire family is assisted. The VNA hospice is the oldest and most experienced hospice in north Texas. Hospice is provided in many of the counties we serve and is funded, in part, by Medicare.
VNA has always served people based on need and ability to pay. We serve the young and the old, the rich and the poor, the chronically ill, disabled, acutely ill, dying and the hungry.
We were a United Way (UW) agency almost from the beginning. We receive support from UW in all areas we serve.
The VNA Foundation was established in 1978 as a non-membership non-profit corporation and was changed to a membership non-profit corporation in FY 1991 with VNA as the sole member.
See photos from our 75 year history
