Each year, VNAA recognizes individuals from affiliate member agencies who have made significant and meaningful contributions to advancing nonprofit home healthcare and hospice agencies.
Award recipients are recognized during the 2015 VNAA Awards Program on Wednesday, April 22, 2015 at the VNAA Annual Meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana. Winners will be posted on this page following the ceremony.
Award Categories
Outstanding Agency Leader
The Outstanding Agency Leader of the Year Award recognizes contributions by a home health or hospice agency leader. The award recognizes outstanding leaders who have made major contributions to the mission of their home health or hospice agency through areas including, but not limited to:
- Financial management
- Development
- Public relations
- Business Development
- Data analytics
- Project leader
- Information Technology
- CEOs or other C-suite executives
General indicators of success encompass building a more effective and efficient organization from an administrative perspective as reflected in agency growth, financial success, employee engagement and/or positive community impact.
Outstanding Clinician
The Outstanding Clinician of the Year Award honors a nonprofit home healthcare or hospice clinician working in a non-supervisory position (e.g., nurse, therapist, home health aide, social worker, complimentary therapists, pastoral care) whose achievements and contributions have enriched the individual’s agency, the lives of his/her patients, and the image of the profession. This person should demonstrate an awareness of the total person in clinical interventions – physically, emotionally and spiritually – and take a culturally sensitive approach in care, with regard to ethnicity and socio-economic factors. Attributes of the award recipient may include:
- Adding to the patient’s quality of life
- Significant improvement in patients clinical outcomes
- Increasing community awareness of home healthcare, hospice and VNA services
- Participating in community or civic activities that have served to promote home healthcare or hospice
- Active and engaged team member or mentor
Outstanding Innovation Leader
The Outstanding Innovation Leader of the Year Award recognizes contributions by a home health or hospice leader of an innovative program, project, and practices. This individual is a leader that created or was instrumental in the implementation of an innovative project. These contributions may include:
- Development and implementation of a new or non-traditional program
- Managing and growing established program services and resources
- Activities that significantly improve the agency and its ability to serve the community
General indicators of success encompass clinical outcomes, patient experience outcomes, level and number of customers served, financial gain, public recognition, and forging new and non-traditional partnerships.
Outstanding Public Policy Advocate
The Outstanding Public Policy Advocate of the Year Award recognizes strong and innovative outreach to policymakers on the federal and state levels. Recipients of the award promote the role and services of nonprofit home health and/or hospice to their policymakers.
Examples of activities may include but are not limited to:
- Active participation in VNAA advocacy efforts
- Successful events involving Members of Congress or Administration officials related to home health or hospice visits done in conjunction with VNAA’s policy agenda
- Innovation in terms of grassroots lobbying that can be shared with VNAA member agencies
- Strategic relationship building with congressional offices
- Presence at local events organized by congressional offices
Outstanding Volunteer
The Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award recognizes an outstanding volunteer for his/her efforts and contributions to nonprofit home health and hospice care. This individual goes the extra mile in service to their agency and has continuously displayed leadership and commitment leaving a lasting impact on the organization. This category includes nominees from all volunteer programs including hospice, meals-on-wheels, flu prevention, senior companions, or any other volunteer programs as well as those volunteers who serve in an advisory role, such as on the board of directors.
Outstanding Quality Team
The Outstanding Quality Team Award recognizes the three important elements: innovation, quality and teamwork. This award provides the opportunity to recognize a cohesive, high functioning team that has applied approaches within the organization and/or with other organizations and partners to produce positive patient outcomes. Attributes of a deserving team include:
- Improving the organization’s quality outcomes
- Hard wiring new best practices
- Significant improvement in quality measures/outcomes.
- Improvement in financial outcomes
Nominations should demonstrate how the team functions including leadership, involvement and length of time that team worked together. Nominators should describe if teams are with other organizations through partnerships and/or collaborations. Nominations should provide data to demonstrate a significant improvement in clinical and/or financial metrics.
