Visiting Nurse & Hospice of Fairfield County Officially Now a Member of Waveny LifeCare Network

Visiting Nurse & Hospice of Fairfield County Officially Now a Member of Waveny LifeCare Network

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NEW CANAAN, Conn. –  The Boards of Directors of Visiting Nurse & Hospice of Fairfield County
(VNHFC)  and  Waveny  LifeCare  Network  (WLCN)  have  announced  the  completion  of  the  first
phase  of  their  planned  integration.  Effective  January  1,  2021,  VNHFC  has  officially  
become  a member  of  the  Waveny  LifeCare  Network,  thereby  expanding  the  Network’s  
comprehensive home health care offerings with the addition of a well-recognized and
well-established home health and hospice care provider. This combination of the two highly regarded
organizations now provides  a  fully  integrated  network  of  comprehensive  health  care  
services  to  better  serve residents and families of Fairfield County and beyond.

VNHFC also expands WLCN’s continuum of services with the addition of dedicated community- based  
services  of  school  nursing  programs,  public  health  nursing  and  New  Canaan’s  Locust
Avenue Thrift Shop.

The  strategic  alliance,  introduced  in  October  2020,  was  formed  with  the  shared  mission  
of compassion and  service for  the needs of the  community  being top of mind.  The initial phase
established  VNHFC  as  a  wholly  owned  subsidiary  of  WLCN.  Now  that  this  phase  has  been
completed,  both  organizations  will  undertake  a  plan  to  explore  the  opportunity  of  
formally merging VNHFC’s home care and hospice services with Waveny’s Home Healthcare division, at
a later date. The sole member transaction has been approved by several governmental agencies,
including Connecticut’s Department of Public Health.

“True collaboration with a shared commitment to provide compassionate, clinical excellence of the
highest quality to residents of Fairfield County  has characterized this partnership from its very  
inception,”  said  Kathleen  A.  Corbet,  Chairman  of  Waveny  LifeCare  Network.  “We  look
forward to managing this transition together to implement our vision and strategy for growth.

“The  complexity  and  rapidly  changing  healthcare  industry  has  only  intensified  during  the
Coronavirus pandemic,” Russell R. Barksdale, Jr., MPA/MHA, FACHE, President and CEO of WLCN, said.
“As two non-profit organizations operating in a highly competitive environment, we must continually
look for ways to evolve to meet the increasing needs of our community. Our alliance could not be
more timely.”

The Waveny LifeCare Network’s Board, comprised of representatives from both agencies and led by Ms.
Corbet as Chairman, now governs all members of WLCN, including VNHFC. Mr.  Barksdale will continue
to serve as President and CEO of Waveny LifeCare Network, the parent company and all of its divisions

and subsidiaries including VNHFC. The past President and CEO of Visiting
Nurse & Hospice of Fairfield County, Sharon Bradley, RN, MSN, DNP, is now employed by Waveny
LifeCare Network as an Executive in Residence.

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ABOUT WAVENY LIFECARE NETWORK
Waveny LifeCare Network is a non-profit organization that provides a comprehensive continuum of  
healthcare  to  serve  the  changing  needs  of  older  adults  from  all  areas.  Waveny offers
independent living at The Inn, memory/dementia assisted living and respite care at The Village, and
skilled nursing, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation services at Waveny Care Center. It also
includes the Brown Geriatric Evaluation Clinic, and an array of community-based services through
Waveny Home Healthcare. In October 2020, Waveny LifeCare Network was nationally recognized  as one  
of the  Best  Nursing Homes  for  2020-21  by  U.S. News  & World  Report  and continually  scored  
as  a  5-Star  facility  by  Centers  for  Medicare  and  Medicaid  Services  (CMS), provider of
health coverage through Medicare, Medicaid and other programs.

For more information, call 203.594.5200 or visit www.waveny.org

ABOUT VISITING NURSE & HOSPICE OF FAIRFIELD COUNTY
Based in Wilton, Conn., Visiting Nurse & Hospice of Fairfield County was founded over 100 years ago
and has grown to become one of the most enduring home and hospice care organizations in the state.
VNHFC is a non-profit, fully accredited agency that provides professional nursing and support  
services,  care  management,  physical  rehabilitation,  health  education,  community wellness
programs and compassionate hospice care for adults and children throughout Fairfield County.

For more information, call 203.762.8958 or visit www.visitingnurse.net

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Media Contact:
Terry Henry, MBA
Chief Sales, Marketing & Communications Officer

Email: thenry@waveny.org
Phone: 203.594-5308

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