History
History
During the late 1960's, a group headed by Dr. John Norris began working to bring the vision of a visiting nurse association for the Lake Sunapee region to reality. Prior to that time, each town had a nurse who would travel to provide education, immunizations and treatment.
Through these efforts, Kearsarge Visiting Nurse Association (KVNA) was founded and incorporated in January 1970 as a not-for-profit home health care organization, originally serving the towns of Bradford, Danbury, New London, Springfield, Sutton and Warner. Today, we serve more than 30 New Hampshire towns spanning 1,200+ square miles in Grafton, Merrimack and Sullivan counties. We provide home health care, hospice, palliative care and personal care services in homes and facilities. Additionally, we offer many community-based programs and clinics.
Our staff includes registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, licensed nursing assistants, physical, occupational and speech therapists, medical social workers, spiritual care counselors, personal care service providers, homemakers, companions and support staff.
A volunteer Board of Trustees representing the geographic region served governs the organization.
We remain committed to our non-profit mission. We accept tax-deductible donations from the community in order to subsidize our costs. Your generosity helps us to meet the financial demands of providing high-impact services as a non-profit organization.
Through the Years
1970
Kearsarge Visiting Nurse Association was founded and incorporated as a not-for-profit home health care organization.
1987
Newport Area Home Health Agency and Kearsarge Visiting Nurse Association merged to become Lake Sunapee Home Health Care.
1990
Hospice of the Kearsarge Valley, a volunteer organization, and Lake Sunapee Home Health Care merged to become Lake Sunapee Region Visiting Nurse Association (LSRVNA).
1991
LSRVNA became certified by Medicare as a hospice provider.
1993
LSRVNA became the first free-standing home health care organization to be accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
2000
LSRVNA became the first agency in New Hampshire to provide home telemedicine.
2004
LSRVNA purchased and moved into its new building, decreasing operating expenses and investing in the future. LSRVNA also opened The Renaissance Shoppe, a high quality resale shop raising funds and awareness for LSRVNA.
2010
LSRVNA officially expanded its primary service area to include the towns of Canaan, Enfield, Grafton, Hanover and Lebanon in Grafton County/Upper Valley region and Plainfield and Cornish in Sullivan County.
2016
The majority of the staff, services and programs of Connecticut Valley Home Care, formerly a division of Valley Regional Healthcare in Claremont, became part of Lake Sunapee Region VNA & Hospice. LSRVNA was also named the Lake Sunapee Region Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year in 2016.
2020
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, LSRVNA found ways to celebrate its milestone 50th anniversary and was honored to receive the Colby-Sawyer College 2020 Community Award.
"We are so grateful for all you did for my husband after his hip replacement surgery. I was a basket case in many ways, and with your help, I learned to do what I needed to do."
