Moorestown Visiting Nurses Still Make Housecalls Amid Outbreak

MOORESTOWN, NJ — Moorestown Visiting Nurses Association is reminding residents can still receive care from skilled nurses in their home. The service is available all the time, but has become a valuable resource amid the current outbreak of new coronavirus.

“The presence of COVID-19 has only added to the landscape in terms of the kinds of skilled care we deliver,” Moorestown Visiting Nurses & Hospice President/CEO Chickie Holcombe said. “Whether our patient is facing cancer, heart disease, serious injury, or another condition, our nurses, therapists and aides are experts at helping them to recover, or in the case of hospice, to die with dignity, in the safety, comfort and familiarity of their own homes. We’ve been trusted providers for over 100 years, through everything from the Spanish flu, to the Polio years, through many harsh flu seasons, and to this present situation with coronavirus. We are absolutely on top of the latest guidelines for the conditions our patients face. We’ve sharpened our skills and practices through generations. We know how to do this.”

Like other providers in the industry, Moorestown Visiting Nurse Association said it is currently addressing challenges with supply-chain issues, staff concerned about their own health and juggling care for children, and the logistics and upheaval of moving office personnel to home-based workspaces.

New Jersey Coronavirus Updates: Don't miss local and statewide announcements about novel coronavirus precautions. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.

However, the non-profit agency said it has so far managed to keep its entire staff employed, and remain a steady and reassuring presence in the health care continuum. They are taking on the responsibility for patients as they are discharged from the hospital or from rehabilitation, or coming directly to the aid of those where a physician has referred them for skilled assistance, and in some cases hospice care, at home.

“We are always able to consult with our patients over the phone, but our core remains in-person care wherever our patient calls home,” Holcombe said. “Our physical and occupational therapists are in private homes right now helping people to get back up on their feet again, our nurses are showing up to care for their heart patients and addressing hundreds of clinical concerns, our hospice team is working round-the-clock, our social workers are helping families navigate through the healthcare system, our home health aides are absolutely essential, helping people to eat and to bathe, and our team is doing this in what is currently the safest place for the patient…the patient’s own home.”

Moorestown Visiting Nurse Association is still caring for those with life-limiting illness.Hospice nurses and aides continue to care for patients in their homes, even when their home is an otherwise quarantined facility such as an assisted living residence.

Agency liaisons are also stationed at local hospitals, participating in the discharge process and working with the Moorestown Visiting Nurses Association intake department to transition patients back to their home and family.

Patient and staff safety remain a guiding principle in the agency’s activities. Moorestown Visiting Nurses Association staff is provided with daily situation updates and the latest education regarding COVID-19, and diligently follows all best practices and protocols for infection control as outlined by the CDC.

In addition to caring directly for their patient’s primary condition, which sometimes includes symptoms of coronavirus, visiting clinicians are evaluating the household environment and educating entire families on the best practices for infection control and safety within their specific home.

“We are encountering individuals with symptoms of COVID-19,” Holcombe said. “In these cases we immediately isolate and quarantine the person within the home, and are in touch with their physician to determine the best next steps for their particular case and family situation. Infection control is an absolute priority. Our own staff is constantly screened and managed, and if necessary will self-quarantine to prevent the virus from spreading.”

“Moorestown VNA has a team of exceptional, smart, courageous people who’ve dedicated their lives and careers in service to others. We’re standing tall and continuing to follow our mission to care for our patients and their families- and to help them take care of each other. There’s always been a great need for homecare. Now it’s even more essential.”

In order to qualify for home care services, a patient must meet certain criteria describing them as “homebound.” A physician’s referral is required to engage home care or hospice services.

Marking its 116th year of service to South Jersey this year, Moorestown Visiting Nurse Association is a non-profit organization that provides homecare, hospice, counseling and wellness services to families in Burlington, Camden and Gloucester counties. For more information, call 856-552-1300, email: services@moorestownvna.org, or visit www.moorestownvna.org or facebook.com/moorestownvna.

See related: NJ Coronavirus Updates: Here's What You Need To Know