The Berlin VNA has been providing quality care to Patients for 85 years.  It all began in 1926 when several Berlin residents developed a program to present to the annual Town meeting requesting to have a visiting nurse.  This was precipitated by several residents becoming sick with various illnesses including a small pox epidemic.  The ill were relying on friends, neighbors or town officials for care and assistance.  Some of the illnesses called for assistance beyond the scope of what neighbors or town officials could provide.  The town officials approved the plan of accepting a Visiting Nurse Committee with their charge to hire a public health nurse.

This committee contacted the Public Health Nursing section of the State Health Department to request a nurse and one was assigned.  On January 1, 1927 the nurse started her job.  The service she provided was designed to be a generalized program taking care of the sick in their homes.  Under a physician's care and advising and giving first aid to the school children.

The charge for nursing calls was 75 cents a visit.  Maternity class (possibly a delivery) was $5.00 and the aftercare visits were 75 cents to the mother and 24 cents to the baby.

On July 1, 1929 a new nurse was assigned to Berlin as a replacement since the original nurse resigned her position.  The reason for her resignation was she could no longer take the driving on the muddy roads which became much better within a short time.  As stated in the original document, "the Old Blue Hills Road muddy slope is but a memory to a few `old timers.'"

In 1952, there was a reorganization of the Visiting Nurse Committee into the Berlin Public Health Nursing Service.  The location of the nurse's office changed as well.  In 1931 the nurse had her office in the new high school and in 1959 she was moved into the Town Hall.   Through the years, the nurse had part time help from nurses in town, and from surrounding town.  In 1953 a second full time nurse was hired and in 1954 a third nurse joined them. 

Obviously throughout the years the agency has evolved into a full service homecare agency with our name becoming the Berlin VNA on November 5, 2002.  We are now Joint Commission Accredited, State Licensed, Medicare/Medicaid certified and a member of the Connecticut Association for Home Care and the Visiting Nurse Association of New England.  We provide skilled nursing, physical, speech and occupational therapies, medical social work, home health aide and homemaking services.  The Department also staffs and supervises the health rooms in all public and private schools.

We deliver care under a physician's order and offer PT/INR monitoring to manage oral anticoagulation therapy and telemonitoring to those patients that are currently under our care.