VNS President & CEO Receives HCA's Highest Honor

Rochester, NY – Victoria G. Hines, president and CEO of Visiting Nurse Service of Rochester and Monroe County, Inc. (VNS) was honored this week at the 2011Home Care Association of New York State Annual Conference (HCA), named recipient of the Ruth F. Wilson Award.

HCA’s highest honor – the Ruth F. Wilson Award – is bestowed upon an individual who has demonstrated exceptional dedication and made a significant contribution to home care over a period of time. With this award, HCA recognizes those whose work has had a dramatic effect on home care, reaching beyond a single agency. The recipient is recognized for strengthening the practice of the home care profession, raising the standards of quality and care for patients, or advancing the level of understanding and mutual cooperation among the home care community, legislators, federal and state agencies, health care providers and the public. This prestigious award recognizes an individual who has made home care services stronger and more visible, and one who has never wavered from his/her support of home care.

In November 2001, Vicky was appointed President and CEO of VNS and Visiting Nurse Signature Care; as well as vice president for Home Care for Strong Health and associate dean of Community Care of the University of Rochester School of Nursing. At VNS, she directs the certified and licensed home health agencies, as well as oversees the hospice, long-term home health care and Meals On Wheels programs.

Vicky has served the University of Rochester, Strong Health, and Strong Memorial Hospital in numerous administrative positions since 1990, and from 1987 to 1989. Just prior to her appointment with VNS, she directed the Ambulatory Redesign Project for the University of Rochester and Strong Health, standardizing business practices and making significant financial and process improvements. Vicky previously served as associate dean for Administration and Finance at the University of Rochester School of Nursing, where she was chief architect of a strategic plan that has significantly improved the competitive and financial position of the school.

Before returning to Rochester, she served as director of Ambulatory Services and Clinical Program Support for The Francis Scott Key Medical Center at Johns Hopkins Health System from 1989 to 1990.

Vicky is an Assistant Professor at the University of Rochester School of Nursing and teaches in the Masters Program. Current course assignments include Leadership and Decision Analysis, and several guest lectures on management and leadership topics. Vicky has published twice on activities-based costing.

Currently, she serves on several boards, including the Regional Advisory Board for HSBC, the Home Care Association of New York, the Finger Lakes Visiting Nurse Service in Geneva, NY, and the Alzheimer’s Association.

Vicky earned her master’s degree in Health Administration from the Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Virginia. She served an administrative residency at Strong Memorial, Highland and Park Ridge hospitals. She is a native of Alexandria, VA, and resides in Fairport, NY, with her husband, Thomas, and three children.

VNS is a not-for-profit, Medicare-certified home health care agency. Licensed by the State of New York, VNS has been providing quality care since 1919. As one of the largest full-service home health providers in the Rochester area, VNS conducts more than 600,000 visits to 11,000 patients annually. VNS is a member of the Home Care Association of New York State, Inc. and the National Association for Home Care. For more information, please call 585.787.2233 or visit www.vnsnet.com.

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