Cornerstone VNA is excited to celebrate its 110th year and we are proud to look back on our impressive history of providing care at home. In 1913, the Rochester Women’s Club, led by president and philanthropist, Norma Snow, and the Ladies Aide of the First Church Congregational founded the VNA to provide homecare services. For more than a century, Cornerstone VNA has been committed to bringing services to people of all ages, so that families can stay together at home, even when facing the challenges of aging, surgical recovery, chronic or life-threatening illnesses or end of life care.
Julie Reynolds, RN, MS, President/CEO states, “I have proudly worked as a home care nurse since 1987 and joined Cornerstone VNA in 1994. I have experienced so much personal and professional growth in my time at Cornerstone VNA, and it has been an honor to lead this organization as the President/CEO for the past 10 years.” Julie continues, “Although we have grown tremendously in recent years, we still pay tribute to our founder and our remarkable history of providing high quality care to our patients and our community.”
Particularly in the last decade, Cornerstone VNA has experienced significant growth which earned us recognition as the Business NH Magazine 2020 Health Care Business of the Decade, as well as numerous other awards including most recently the Falls Chamber of Commerce 2022 Nonprofit of the Year, and the 2022 Best of the Seacoast Best Home Health Care.
As the region braced itself for the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Cornerstone VNA was well-prepared thanks to our ongoing emergency preparedness efforts. We continued providing care to patients and developed innovative ways to remain connected to our local communities. We also broke ground on an important capital project in October 2020 to expand our building and renovate our existing space to address the growing needs of our patients, staff, and community members. Over the years, we have remained proactive in our approach to researching and implementing innovative specialty services, including a remote telehealth monitoring program, to meet the complex needs of our patients to ensure positive outcomes.
With a staff of over 170 team members, Cornerstone VNA has a depth of longevity that is quite extraordinary. Sandy Powers, RN, has been a nurse at Cornerstone VNA for thirty-one years, and is known fondly by her patients as “Nurse Sandy”. Sandy remarks, “I’ve had various roles over the last 30 years, and it has been a wonderful ride with all of them. I’ve gained so much knowledge working as an RN in home care.”
From longtime nurse, Sandy, to recently enlisted team member, Megan Casey, RN, BSN, the positive feeling of being a nurse and working in home care is just as strong. Megan shares, “There’s something remarkable and rewarding about caring for patients in the home setting, often at their most acute and vulnerable states, and being part of an agency (family) that provides endless support and appreciation. I don’t just love what I do, I live for it.”
Nurses Megan Casey (2 years at CVNA) and Sandy Powers (31 years at CVNA)In honor of our founder, the Norma Snow Legacy Society was established in 2016 to recognize those who have chosen to make a lasting commitment to Cornerstone VNA through a will, trust or other planned gift. Their generous support will ensure that Cornerstone VNA will continue to be here for future generations.Become a Member of the Norma Snow Legacy Society