Visiting Nurse Association (Evanston, Ill.)

Organization that provided nursing care in the Evanston, Illinois area. Concerned with the presence of disease and the lack of proper health care in the Evanston area, the Visiting Nurse Committee, comprised of Mrs. Peter Lutkin, Mrs. Charles Chandler, and Mrs. Roger McCullen, founded the Visiting Nurse Association of Evanston (later known as the VNA North) in 1897. The nurses provided physical and emotional comfort to people in the community who might not otherwise be able to afford health care. Local philanthropic organizations soon became involved in supporting VNA North's mission and VNA North slowly expanded its operations, officially incorporating in 1912. Continuing to add services as the needs of Evanston and the surrounding communities dictated, the nurses educated patients about proper hygiene and nutrition as ways of preventing disease. Moreover, they were involved in issues of prenatal care, parenting classes, infant welfare, tuberculosis, venereal disease, mental health, polio, physical therapy, hospice care, and other social services. By 1984, VNA North merged with the VNAs of Glenview and Skokie in order to serve 29 communities. Due to the challenges created by the growth in managed care, in 1996, VNA North affiliated with Evanston Hospital Corporation.

Non-profit organization; founded in 1897.