Community Visiting Nurse Association was established in 1948 as Somerset Valley Visiting Nurse Association, and certified by the state of New Jersey as a non-profit social welfare corporation.  The SVVNA (Somerset Valley VNA) office was at 25 North Bridge Street in Somerville, offering its services in the boroughs of Bound Brook, Manville, Middlesex, Millstone, Rocky Hill, Raritan, Somerville, South Bound Brook, and the townships of Branchburg, Bridgewater, Hillsborough, and Montgomery.

In 1949, Marie Gemeroy was appointed as Director of Somerset Valley VNA.  She graduated from Cornell University, NY Hospital School of Nursing and received a BS  in Public Health Nursing at Teacher’s College, Columbia University.  She joined SVVNA after working at the Henry Street House of NY (1st public health nursing facility).  The staff included 2 nurses and a clerk. 

The stated functions of SVVNA were:

1. Promoting individual, family and community health
2. Preventing disease by teaching the principles of health, hygiene and sanitation.
3. Applying the functions of public health nursing in the prevention of disease and promotion of health.

In 1951, the agency moved to 204 West Cliff Street, Somerville.  Marie Gemeroy supervised a staff of 3 nurses, directed public relations and administrated fieldwork and bedside care.  Mrs. Gemeroy solidly believed that public services rendered by this association only has been made possible by the support she has received by several individual and local welfare agencies.  Mrs. Gemeroy was elected first Vice President of the NJ Organization for Public Health Nursing. 

Marie Gemeroy resigned in 1955 and Mrs. Mildred LaDue succeeded her as the new Director.  By 1956, staff had grown to 6 nurses including the director, plus 2 part time clerks.  The nurses made 11, 336 home visits that year.

By 1966, SVVNA had grown to 12  nurses and moved to 256 East Main Street in Somerville, New Jersey.  It conducted classes in churches, conference rooms of banks or wherever space was available.  The nurses' main duties were “to provide care and give treatment ordered by a physician to anyone who is ill and at home and in need of a nurse on a part time basis.”  Some duties included bathing, changing dressings and administering medications and injections. The Medicare program was created and SVVNA became Medicare certified. Fees were charged based on actual cost to the association, adjustments were granted in hardship cases.  Service was never denied.

In 1974, SVVNA purchased its first headquarters building at 586 East Main Street, Bridgewater, New Jersey, and celebrated its 25th anniversary.  After a thirty-year absence  as director of SVVNA, Marie Gemeroy rejoined the association as a member of the Board of Trustees, serving from 1982 to 1989.

In 1985, Marilyn Zuchowski became the new Director, bringing an extensive background in home health care and nursing management.  Services continued expanding, including health maintenance and monitoring for local boarding home residents, non-public school nursing, health screening programs for industry and community groups, and infusion therapy services.

By 1987, SVVNA had 16 Registered Nurses, 5 Physical Therapists, 2 Occupational Therapists, 2 Speech Therapists, 1 Social Worker, 1 Nutritionist and 5 office staff.  SVVNA was designated as the Case Management site in Somerset County for Medicaid ACCAP waiver program  (extended home care for AIDS clients).  A formal arrangement was made to provide client assessments to the County Board of Social Services, and agreements were made to provide local health departments with child health conferences and health screenings.  This set the stage for continued growth in the late 1980s. 

1990 brought a new program, Somerset Valley Hospice. It was Certified by Medicare in May, 1990, and began providing care and support to terminally ill patients.  In recognition of the dedication and service provided to Somerset Valley VNA by Marie Gemeroy, an annual award was created in her name.

In 1993, in cooperation with the Visiting Nurse Association of America, SVVNA began its Flu Immunization program, providing flu shots throughout the community to adults, helping to prevent illness and the complications that arise from flu.  Also in 1993, SVVNA achieved accreditation from CHAP, The Community Health Accreditation Program.

The Hospice program’s annual fund raiser, “Light Up A Life” began in 1995, with much assistance from our volunteers.

Deciding to demonstrate the high quality of care and services provided, Valley Health Care earned Accreditation With Commendation from the Joint Commission of Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO) in 1997.

In 2000, the Board of Directors made the final change to our present name, Community Visiting Nurse Association.  Community VNA is the parent company for Community VNS, the Medicare Certified provider, Community Home Care, caring for managed care patients and community health, and Community Care Hospice, caring for terminally ill patients.  All of the companies are non-profit and function seamlessly as one unit to provide the care necessary to the patients.

In May, 2001, Alyce Brophy was appointed President/CEO of Community Visiting Nurse Association and it's affiliates. 

In September 2003, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation awarded Community VNA a $232,000 collaborative training grant to improve training, literacy, and  job success of home health and long term care aides in Somerset County and to ease the shortage of caregivers in our community.  A second grant was received from Ortho-McNeil that allowed the VNA to update patient equipment and educational tools for all our child health conferences in the county.

The Somerset County Office on Aging awarded its Chronic Disease Care Management Program grant to Community Home Care for 2004.  This grant allows us to provide nursing care, a nutritionist, physical therapy, social services and telemedicine to frail elderly county residents with diabetes or congestive heart failure.

In January, 2005, Community VNA moved to our current location at 110 West End Avenue, Somerville, New Jersey.  This move doubled the size of our offices to accommodate the growth of the agency over the last few years and allow the Agency to continue to expand its services to the citizens in the area.