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Congressman Driehaus visits VNA patient
Expresses support for home health
as cost-effective, quality care option
The first
thing Rep. Steve Driehaus noticed when
he entered Robert Bronner’s room was the
framed print above his bed. It is image
that borders on the sacred on
Cincinnati’s
West Side, part of the
district Driehaus represents and where
Bronner, who is paralyzed below the
arms, lives.
“Ah, the
Big Red Machine,” said Driehaus, as the
two shook hands this day in early June.
Helping
people like Bronner stay in their homes
has long been a priority for the
Congressman, going back to his tenure in
the Ohio House of Representatives.
“When it
comes to long-term care,” Driehaus said,
“nursing homes and home healthcare both
have a role to play. But so many people
want to stay in their homes. From a
government perspective, it’s far cheaper
if we can help them do that.”
Bronner
said family members assist with his
daily care. But it’s very doubtful he
would be able to remain at home without
the Visiting Nurse Association of
Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, which provides skilled nursing to treat
his chronic bedsores and change his
catheter.
“The VNA
nurses are all fantastic,” he said.
“Without them, I’d be up a real creek
without a paddle.”
In March,
Driehaus voted to approve major health
care reform legislation in Congress.
There are concerns in the home
healthcare industry that provisions in
the new law could eventually lead to
home healthcare agencies losing money on
Medicare patients.
“That is
certainly not Congress’ intent,”
Driehaus said. While he calls health
reform an historic step forward for the
country, he also said people need to
remember that it is a first step that
will be carefully monitored.
“We’ll
look at the impact as we go forward, and
if adjustments need to be made, we’ll
make them,” he said. “Members of
Congress want people to be cared for –
and in the best setting.”
For
Bronner, that’s safe at home with the
Big Red Machine looking on.
The
Visiting Nurse Association of Greater
Cincinnati and
Northern Kentucky is the
largest independent nonprofit home
healthcare agency in the Tri-State. This
year the VNA begins its second century
service, providing home healthcare and
personal services to all local patients
who need them, regardless of the
patient’s financial status.
For more
information please call
(513) 345-8000
or (800) 345-8085