Merrimack County Savings Bank (the Merrimack) donated $10,000 to the Concord Regional Visiting Nurse Association (CRVNA) in support of a $25,000 matching grant from the Lodestar Foundation. The grant monies will offset expenses associated with their merger with Central NH Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice (Central VNA), to expand and improve care and services throughout the state.
As the population of New Hampshire ages more rapidly than any other state in the country, agencies like CRVNA and Central VNA, who provide home-based health care and hospice services, are needed now more than ever. “We have been facing challenges that make it more difficult to deliver care, including complexities in technology, licensing and administrative requirements, and demand for services that require a higher level of expertise,” said Beth Slepian, President and CEO of CRVNA. “We are very grateful for the Merrimack’s generous contribution to help us reach a growing population. CRVNA and Central VNA have enjoyed a collaborative working relationship for many years, and we believe that merging our teams allows us to maintain the high level of care our patients and providers expect from us, and expand services and programming throughout the many communities we reach.”
“The Merrimack continues to appreciate the good and necessary work the Concord Regional VNA provides,” said Linda Lorden, President of Merrimack County Savings Bank. “Their intention to merge into a unified agency with Central VNA to better meet the growing demands for home and community based healthcare is critical to the communities we jointly serve and we applaud these efforts.”
For more information about the merger between CRVNA and Central VNA, visit vnaforthefuturenh.com.
The Lodestar Foundation awards grants that help fund systemic changes in the way that nonprofits conduct business. Funds are often leveraged by establishing challenge and matching grant requirements. In addition to making direct grants, the Lodestar Foundation also engages in field-building activities that expand knowledge and provide education in the areas of philanthropy and collaboration. For more information visit lodestarfoundation.org.
Formed through the merger of Community Health & Hospice in Laconia and the VNA and Hospice of Southern Carroll County in Wolfeboro, Central VNA provides in-home healthcare services to 47 Lakes Region communities, including home care, rehabilitation services, pediatric care and palliative care, as well as a comprehensive, team-based home hospice program. For more information, visit centralvna.org.
Incorporated in 1899, Concord Regional VNA is a not-for-profit licensed and certified home health and hospice care provider. The agency serves people of all ages in more than 44 communities in central New Hampshire by providing home care, hospice care, palliative care, personal home services, pediatric and maternal child health services and wellness programming. Concord Regional VNA opened New Hampshire’s first hospice house in 1994. In fiscal year 2020, Concord Regional VNA provided more than $5.5 million in community benefits. For more information, visit crvna.org.