SV Hospital expands home health program
Sonoma Valley Hospital’s Skilled Home Health Care service has a new name and a bigger mission. The nationally-recognized program has been renamed “Healing At Home” and is expanding its services in Sonoma county and entering Marin and Napa counties.
“Growing demand for high quality skilled home health care has encouraged us to look beyond the Sonoma Valley, where we have been a leading provider for 25 years,” said Barbara Lee, director of the program.
Hospitals, primary care physicians and patients all agree it is better for the patient to heal at home whenever possible, she said. “We provide services that are personalized to meet a patient’s medical and care needs in the comfort of their homes.”
Healing At Home is a professional team of registered nurses and physical, occupational and speech therapists, along with social workers and certified home health aides. Its members visit homebound patients on a regular basis to provide care directed by the patient’s physician. Healing At Home provides a broad range of professional services including home I.V. therapy, enterostomal therapy, wound care, medication management, pain management, and physical and speech therapy, among others.
Health surveys show that nearly 70 percent of home health care patients are senior citizens who are more likely to live alone and be in poorer health. Healing At Home serves this population, Lee said, along with any patients who require skilled care in the home.
Started in 1989, Healing At Home currently provides around 1,000 home visits each month. It was recognized as a HomeCare Elite™ agency in 2011 and 2012, which identifies the top 25 percent of home health agencies in the US based on performance measures. In most cases, skilled home health care services are paid for by private insurance, Medicare or Medi-Cal, or Workers Compensation.
Information on Healing At Home services is available by calling 935.5135 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m, seven days a week. Information is also available at Svh.com.
