Grant Money Is a Compelling Enabler of a Lifeline and Fall Prevention Program in Northwest Missouri Strong local partnerships and a new program emphasis drives

growth of the Lifeline Program

Two generous grants are at the heart of the successful Lifeline

and Falls Prevention Program at Serve Link

Home Care in Trenton, Missouri, according

to Jeff Crowley, Executive Director of

the VNAA-member organization. The

funding has enabled Serve Link to launch

its Lifeline Program, facilitate strong

organizational partnerships, and support

a Falls Prevention Community

Coalition that advocates

high use of Lifeline in

the region.

MarketPowerWinter 2009 Smart marketing techniques to accelerate growth

Philips Lifeline Professional Development Series

Jeff Crowley, Executive Directorof Serve Link Home Care, and Debbie Beverlin, LifelineProgram Manager

1. Would you give a brief description of Serve Link Home Care?

Serve Link Home Care, a not-for-profit agency incorporated

in 1973, provides home health services, in-home services,

and the Philips Lifeline Program to the local Grundy

County community and its nine county service areas

with a population of 70,000 in northwest Missouri.

2. How are you different from other agencies?

In rural areas, home care organizations like ours typically

are attached to nursing homes or hospitals, or they are

a branch of a larger home care company. We are an

independent organization, which is unique. We act as an

umbrella agency to area county public health departments

that want to provide home healthcare services to their

residents under our license. We now have a network of

providers in five of the nine counties of the service area.

If you are in one of those counties, they can refer you to

us for Lifeline and other aide services.

3. Why do you think Serve Link Home Care has been successful in its efforts to providePERS to the area, whereas past attemptswere not effective?

As a home care agency, we were perfectly positioned to

offer Lifeline. In 2002, a grant from the Northwest

Missouri Area Agency on Aging (NWMOAAA) enabled us

to begin the Lifeline Program in our area. Prior to 2002,

Lifeline had been offered by institutional entities such as

hospitals and nursing homes, and it never had the support

it needed to gain momentum. In fact, at that time, PERS was

not considered important to most people, according to a

survey by NWMOAAA. It now ranks #2 in importance

indicating a huge jump in awareness.

The grant was particularly key in the first year as it

subsidized a 25-person core group and kick-started our

marketing and outreach to private-pay customers. In

addition, we had a strong commitment from the board

of directors, and the grant money allowed us to hire a

Lifeline program manager to develop and implement a

comprehensive marketing program. We shifted our

marketing emphasis from cost to value and built a core

group of community champions of our services, Lifeline and

falls prevention. We saw utilization peak after two years,

and then in year three, our private-pay customer business

took off, and it continues to grow. Annual growth of

Lifeline has averaged 23% since 2002.

In year six, we co-branded with Interfaith Community

Services in St. Joseph, Missouri, providing them with a

low-cost entry point to Lifeline with no capital investment.

This brought another burst of growth. They are now

offering Lifeline to their service area.

4. The Grundy County Falls Prevention Coalition is an important initiative that you created after winning a second grant fromthe Missouri Department of Health andSenior Services. What are the details of this award?

This second grant is to support development of a Falls

Prevention Coalition, and it is a two-year grant that runs

through 2010. We applied for and won the grant because

we are a high risk-falls area with a higher than average

documented rate of fall injuries. The grant was a natural

extension of the Lifeline product and a good fit for Serve

Link Home Care sponsorship. The Grundy County Falls

Prevention Coalition took shape in four months, growing

from its initial group of four elder and healthcare member

agencies to 21 representatives from a diverse group of

individuals, organizations, and businesses. It includes

independent living centers, an ambulance company, and a

community action agency, as well as local colleges, hospitals,

and pharmacies.

Crowley and Lifeline Program Manager Debbie Beverlin say that the Lifeline Program hasgrown steadily since it began in 2002 and they discuss how the Serve Link Home Care staffand the communities in the area have championed a vision of value.

5. What are the achievements of the Coalition?

The mission of the coalition is to work to prevent falls

in Grundy County. We have a strategic plan and are

implementing specific actions that focus on educating high-

risk individuals on balance and fitness, vision, medications,

and home safety. We participate in area health fairs, share

information about falls and risk, monitor public building

hazards, apply for foundation grants when applicable to the

elderly community, and sponsor specials events like Falls

Prevention Day, which was a big success. We make sure

that we get a lot of publicity in local media outlets for

everything that we do.

6. What is the role of Serve Link Home Care with the Coalition?

Serve Link sponsors the coalition and the Lifeline program

manager staffs it. The Coalition has its own identity,

however, and is an independent group of individuals and

organizational representatives.

Serve Link recognizes the benefits of being identified with

the Coalition, but we want the Coalition members to be

recognized on their own merit. Being associated with the

success of the Coalition has certainly helped our visibility.

7. Has marketing Lifeline and Serve Link together helped to grow your business?

Yes, and this is a good example of what happened when we

began to stress the value of Lifeline to our clients. Our

chronic, long-term, in-home care programs have grown

significantly. Why? Because referral sources recognize that

having Lifeline is a cost-effective alternative to 24-hour care

for patients with chronic care needs. Serve Link offers a

care plan that combines Lifeline with a personalized in-home

aide program that may include cooking, cleaning, and

other home support services. As a result, costs are offset

dramatically for the patient, and at the same time, our

in-home program is enhanced.

8. Do you think that stressing the value ofLifeline rather than the cost has made a difference in increased referrals and sales?

It was important to market internally to overcome staff

assumptions that elderly customers wouldn’t or couldn’t

pay for the service. We broke through the barriers by

being vigilant and consistent with our messaging. We found

that teaching customers about the value of the service

helped to overcome the price barrier. People are not

accustomed to paying out of pocket for these things, so

showing them the value of what they spend their money

on is important. The staff is proud of the service and

willing to promote it. They recognize its value proposition,

and there is a whole market out there that is willing to pay.

9. What advice would you give to other agencies that want to get started with aFalls Coalition and a Lifeline Program byusing yours as a model?

If you can find a funding source that gives you a base for

your first handful of customers, it really helps propel the

growth of the program. In addition, a committed program

manager is essential – someone who will champion the

program as his or her number one priority. Also

important is blending the services that are funded (grant-

supported) with private pay. Remember, too, that every

Lifeline customer is a marketing asset. Word travels and a

sort of “product envy” can soon develop.Your customers

are a valuable resource for new business.

Subscriber growth milestone:VNA HomeTech/VNA,Western Pennsylvania Butler, PennsylvaniaShirley Ellenberger and Julie Lockhart500+ subscribers

Congratulations to VNA HomeTech/VNA,Western Pennsylvania for achieving a subscribergrowth milestone!

A Message from the VisitingNurse Associations of AmericaAs the Visiting Nurse Associations of America (VNAA) reflects

on the successes and challenges of 2009, we look forward to

the opportunities and endeavors that will keep our members

thriving in 2010.

The VNAA has identified four areas of focus to enhance the

offerings and value that we will provide to members in the

new year:

As healthcare reform continues to dominate the political and

social arenas, the VNAA will be on the frontline, advocating on

behalf of nonprofit home healthcare and hospice providers and

their patients. Through our efforts, members’ voices will be heard

regarding the evolving issues and mounting stakes that threaten

to diminish Medicare payments for nonprofit home healthcare

and hospice. More importantly, we have recruited a robust

legislative and regulatory constituency through our membership,

their delegates, and our friends here in Washington, D.C., to sup-

port community-based home healthcare and hospice policy as well

as other reforms crucial to the livelihood of providers such as

our members who contribute to America’s healthcare safety net.

Also in 2010, the VNAA is committed to providing members

with the resources necessary to deliver quality healthcare to their

communities while operating profitably. We know collegial inter-

action is important to our members, and we recognize the

value of sharing clinical and business best practices.The VNAA is

dedicated to growing the membership and will support the

development of programs that facilitate in-person networking and

collaboration. One opportunity to connect with others is the

VNAA 28th Annual Meeting,April 21-23, in Orlando, Florida.

Themed “Thriving in the New Economy,” more than 35 breakout

sessions and poster presentations will cover an array of topics,

and many of them will provide key insights to help nonprofit

home healthcare and hospice agencies excel in a dynamic and

challenging environment.

In addition to the educational sessions at the Annual Meeting,

the VNAA will also deliver an enriched lineup of educational

teleconferences and webinars in 2010 to capitalize on the

significant participation seen in 2009, when more than 700

continuing education credits were provided to members at no

cost. Relevant and timely topics will be presented by clinical and

industry experts to foster stimulating discussion and peer-to-peer

learning. Moreover, the highly respected VNAA Nursing Procedure

Manual is currently being revised and will feature an expanded

catalog of procedures that reflect the highest clinical standards.

Finally, the VNAA will continue our efforts to achieve widespread

recognition of the importance and value of nonprofit home

healthcare and hospice. Our strategy includes partaking in

pertinent national campaigns and aligning with organizations and

government agencies that truly understand and appreciate the

mission of our members, thereby ensuring that the image of

nonprofit home healthcare and hospice is strong and vibrant

today and into the future.

VNAA staff contact: Meredith Davis, Corporate Relations

Manager, mdavis@vnaa.org or 202-384-1457.

© 2009. All rights reserved.