Scholarships Honor Buffalo Founder of Home Nursing Movement

By Lois Baker

Release Date: January 21, 2005 This content is archived.

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BUFFALO, N.Y. -- To honor a nursing pioneer and help alleviate the shortage of home-health nurses, the Visiting Nursing Association of Western New York (VNA) and the University at Buffalo School of Nursing have established a $21,000 scholarship fund to provide five full-tuition scholarships for students interested in the field.

The VNA Elizabeth Coe Marshall Scholarships are named for the founder of the VNA, who established the agency in Buffalo in 1885 with a grant from the city's First Presbyterian Church. The scholarships will be available for the fall 2005 semester

Students who graduate from the program will be guaranteed a full-time position at the VNA, said Larry Zielinski, VNA president.

"We are very pleased to be able to collaborate with the University at Buffalo School of Nursing on this effort," said Zielinski. "Home-health nursing is a wonderfully fulfilling profession. We have 97 percent patient satisfaction with our nurses.

"Home-health nursing is always one-on-one, personalized patient care," he said. "The nurse is able to see not only patients and their illness, but also their home, family, and support system, which can influence care."

Mecca Cranley, Ph.D., dean of the school, said the school is grateful to the VNA for its support of its students.

"The program also serves to honor the extraordinary work of the VNA and assures the continuation of the legacy of Elizabeth Coe Marshall," she added.

When Marshall founded the VNA, home nursing was available only to the very wealthy who could afford to pay for it. Marshall believed home care should be provided for people of all means, and created a non-profit organization dedicated to that concept. VNA is now one of the nation's largest and most comprehensive home-care agencies, with more than 500 VNA centers in the U.S. serving 4 million patients annually.

Those interested in applying for one of the scholarships may contact Elaine Cusker, assistant dean in the nursing school, at 716-829-3311.