The governing boards of the Walpole Area Visiting Nurse Association and Natick Visiting Nurse Association have approved a formal agreement to integrate the two organizations and their operations across the Walpole and Natick regions of Massachusetts. The affiliation agreement will be effective as of December 4, and new patients can be accepted starting from that time.
The newly integrated organization will be known as the Natick Walpole Visiting Nurse Association (NWVNA) and will be a true combination of equals - a joining of two extraordinary organizations dedicated to improving the health in their local communities by providing dedicated services for patients and families.
The NWVNA will remain a non-profit, community-based, certified home care agency, providing high quality home health care services and resources to people of all ages across 40 towns and cities. The affiliation allows the NWVNA to build on the history, strengths and successes of both organizations who have provided 100+ years of service to their communities.
The new organization’s governing board will be made up of the current board members from the Walpole Area Visiting Nurse Association and three members from the Natick Visiting Nurse Association. Sheila Ahmed will be President of the Board and Elaine D Stephens, MPH, RN, FHHC will be the CEO of the Natick Walpole Visiting Nurse Association (NWVNA). Ms. Ahmed states, “"We are excited about this newly combined entity and the ability to provide exemplary home health services to the communities we serve. Our missions have always been aligned and our desires to stay independent and non profit match our goals of providing reliable and high quality home health care. Together we will be a strong organization and will continue to improve quality of life for those in need of care.”
Michael Murphy, President of the Board at Natick Visiting Nurse Association, states, “We are excited to affiliate with Walpole Area Visiting Nurse Association, a like-minded agency that shares a similar mission to the Natick Visiting Nurse Association. The integration of our agencies will ensure our highly qualified home healthcare teams continue to support our respective patients effectively, and expand the impact of our services to improve the health of the many communities the combined agency serves.”
The NWVNA aims to maintain and grow its diverse portfolio of services to its communities. Industry relationships and professional affiliations will not be affected. The new, affiliated organization employs more than 200 people with 2 office locations in Walpole and Natick. The new organization will continue to accept Medicare, Medicaid, VA, Medicare HMO, private and most non commercial plans.
