Don Provasi Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice (CVHHH) has raised $42,000 toward a $50,0000 Matching Grant from a long time donor. They need to raise only $8,000 between now and the extended deadline of August 31, 2010 to receive the full amount.

The donor of the $50,000 Matching Grant is Barre native Don Provasi, who made the grant in memory of his mother, Grace Provasi Savard. Though Provasi has lived in Orange Park, FL since 1981, he demonstrates his commitment to the Central Vermont community by supporting the work of CVHHH. It is just one way he chooses to give back to the community where he grew up, looking to improve the quality of life for family members, longtime friends and classmates.

This generous Matching Grant from Provasi is a strong incentive for the Central Vermont community to support CVHHH. The agency has long been a front-runner in the home care industry, maximizing advanced technology to provide the highest level of care. Funds raised for this initiative will help support the agency’s Telemonitor Program, which utilizes expensive state-of-the-art technology so patients with chronic diseases can be cared for in the comfort of their home.

CVHHH’s Telemonitor Program has already demonstrated many benefits, one of them primarily being the reduction of hospitalizations. CVHHH’s patient hospitalization rate has decreased dramatically from 33% prior to implementation of its Telemonitor Program to only 15% today. This rate outperforms the national home care hospitalization rate of 29%, placing CVHHH in the top 3% of all home care agencies nationally for the prevention of patient hospitalizations.

Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice is a full service, notfor profit Visiting Nurse Association providing high quality, medically-necessary home health and hospice care to all Central Vermonters, regardless of their ability to pay. It provides this service to 23 towns throughout Central Vermont, providing home health and hospice care to approximately 2,600 patients each year, and health promotion services (i.e. flu clinics, cholesterol screenings, foot clinics, etc.) to more than 9,400 people annually.

The Visiting Nurses Association of America states most Americans can expect to experience a home health service at some point, either personally or as a family member. Donor Provasi says “I believe in the importance of having home health care available to those who need it, when they need it. And, I’m willing to put my money where my mouth is. I encourage Central Vermonters to join me in supporting Central Vermont Home Health and Hospice by raising the last $8,000 of this Matching Grant. I’ll match your donation dollar-for-dollar.”

If you would like to donate to this effort, make your check payable to CVHHH and mail it to 600 Granger Road, Barre, VT 05641, or go to www.cvhhh.org to make a gift online.

CVHHH and Matching Grant donor Don Provasi express their thanks to the donors who have already helped support this vital initiative and raised the first $42,000. For more information on CVHHH’s programs and services, or to find out how you can help, please call 223-1878.