Enhancing the Health and Welfare
of Central Bucks County and Surrounding Communities
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The VIA is an active organization that relies on continued member-and-community support to hold events that engage our constituents. It offers educational programs at monthly meetings and fundraising events. Consider attending a meeting, enjoying an event or lending a hand to make it all happen. Membership meetings are held monthly October through June. Each meeting begins with an information or entertaining presentation and is then followed with on overview of VIA recent and upcoming activities.
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Announcing the Recipient of the Munsey Medal Award!
May 15 @ 7:49 PM - May 31 @ 7:49 PM
Please congratulate Cindy McIlhinney as the 2023 award winner of the new Munsey Medal Award!
Cindy, pictured above in the center, has been a nurse at the Doylestown Health Hospital for 40+ years, received the medal along with a cash award. She embodies so much of what we all admire and respect about nurses.
The new Munsey Medal is named in honor of Norma Munsey, our long-term Visiting Nurse in the early part of the 20th century. This award, established by an anonymous donor, aims to identify an exceptional nurse professional who not only exemplifies clinical excellence but also personifies the very essence of human caring. The award is intended to recognize nurses and the critically important work of nursing, and facilitate a sense of pride through achievement. The winner is awarded the prestigious Munsey Medal.
You ask “Why is this so important?” and “Why is it connected to the VIA?”:
Our nursing affiliation began with the first Visiting Nurses in 1916-1918. Our first two nurses left us to join the military when preparations were underway for the U.S. to join in World War I. Norma Munsey, our third nurse was hired in 1917, just in time to battle the Spanish Flu along with the help of other nurses working in the community. Miss Norma Munsey displayed dedication to nursing and commitment to patients. She was often seen riding her bicycle through town to call on patients. The introduction of visiting nurses back in the early 1900’s evolved into a thriving Visiting Nurse group who continue to bring medical help into our homes when needed. These home visits usually follow an in-hospital stay where the patients were cared for by the excellent nursing staff. When you see a nurse this month, or any day, they too deserve a “thank you for your commitment,” especially after the grueling COVID days.