Visiting Nursing Association President To Head New York Agency

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Mary Ann Christopher will depart her position as president and chief executive officer of the Visiting Nurse Association Health Group, Inc. on January 1, 2012 to assume the same position at the Visiting Nurse Service of New York.
“Mary Ann Christopher has personified the excellence of our organization for nearly thirty years,” said Tom Thees, chair of the VNAHG board of trustees. “Her leadership has been marked by the sustained commitment to ensuring that the most vulnerable had access to health care services irrespective of circumstance. We thank Mary Ann for her exemplary service to our agency and wish her nothing but continued success in her new career opportunity.”
During her decade-long tenure as CEO, Christopher spearheaded a geographic expansion, which transformed the agency from a two-county provider to a statewide organization. Christopher led the development of a unique continuum of services, including home health care, hospice care, community-based prevention and outreach initiatives, clinics for the poor, and school-based health care. In recent years, she skillfully steered the organization through a myriad of federal and state policy changes, directed a second capital campaign that resulted in the agency’s new, modern headquarters, and launched a name change and comprehensive branding initiative.
“It has been an honor and a privilege for me to have shared in VNAHG’s great history and tradition for these last twenty-nine years,” said Christopher. “I am most proud that while we have grown in size and in scope, we have never wavered from our dedication to excellence in safety-net health care delivery.”
“While I am excited to embark upon this new challenge, I do so with a heavy heart. I will always be grateful for the opportunity to work with such a wonderful group of people in touching so many lives for the better.”
VNA Health Group is the largest visiting nurse association in New Jersey, with over 1,700 employees providing home care, hospice and community-based care to more than 127,000 people annually.