History
Our decision to care was not made lightly. Because a commitment to service never goes away. For nearly a century, we've provided care to those in need. And our resolve continues.
Abbie Hunt Bryce
Visiting Nurse
Service Founder
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For over 90 years Visiting Nurse Service (VNS) Healthcare System has served the Central Indiana community.
VNS was formerly known as the Public Health Nursing Association (PHNA). At the turn of the century, Abbie Hunt Bryce, known as the Mother of Public Health Nursing in Indiana, and a small group of concerned Indianapolis women, were on a mission to make home nursing care available to anyone who needed it in their community.
The groundwork for this began in the late 1800's. Disease was rampant in the poorer sections of Indianapolis. The poor and sick were virtually without hope. As early as 1885, The Flower Mission Society sent student nurses into homes. And prior to that civic-minded women brought small gifts, such as jams or jellies, to visit tuberculosis patients. But when its bank failed in 1896, the Flower Mission 's financial condition was irrevocably harmed and services had to be discontinued. However, this set back made it's members even more determined to see that public health nursing was established.
After repeated attempts by Abbie Hunt Bryce and her small group of women, the Marion County Graduate Nurses' Association agreed to pay for the first month's salary for a public health nurse and for the incorporation paper needed to form this new service. With this agreement, in 1913 the Public Health Nursing Association (PHNA) came to life with a single graduate nurse and an operating budget of $723 a year.
Now, over 90 years later, VNS is still driven to fulfill its mission and deliver "Quality community-based and health related services that promote independence, wellness and family integrity ." As a United Way Agency, VNS still serves Central Indiana with traditional home care services but now also provides hospice, mental health, and other services that address the needs of our community.
"You must realize that VNS was here before Medicare, Medicaid and in many cases before many hospitals were even built. VNS is proud of its long history and service to the community, and we look forward to serving for another 90 years," says John L. Pipas, President and CEO of The VNS Healthcare System.
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