INTRODUCTION
WELCOME
to the Visiting
Nurse Corporation of Colorado, Inc. (“the Agency”). We strive to establish a relationship of
mutual respect and cooperation with our employees.
You are our most valuable asset. We hope your association with us will be as
enjoyable as it is productive. Your confidence and skills
are critical to us as an organization, as well as to you and your own
professional growth.
This Handbook is
meant to explain and clarify the relationship between you (the employee), and
the Agency. General guidelines are presented here to
bring about an understanding of our business practices.
You are asked to carefully read the information guidelines
and procedures outlined in this Handbook. Please refer to it when a question arises regarding a
personnel practice. Periodically review
the Handbook's contents to refresh your memory regarding conduct, benefits, and
procedures. For ease of reference, the Handbook is available on the
web. The online version is at: http://www.vnacolorado.org/hr/Benefits/Handbook.htm, and it replaces all previously issued editions.
OUR MISSION
The Visiting Nurse Corporation of Colorado,
in its second century of service, improves quality of life by providing
excellent health care to people where they live and work. The Agency is a non-profit organization that
offers high quality home health services including but not restricted to
nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech pathology, social work,
and other community health services to all residents of Colorado.
The Agency explores and develops health-related programs
based upon community need and acceptance, economic viability, and availability
of resources to provide
these services. The Agency is sensitive
to the financial circumstances of the individuals it serves and provides
services appropriate to those circumstances, including services at reduced
rates or no charge to indigent people within the constraints of available
community support resources.
VISION
The Agency will provide exceptional health care to individuals
and families within our service communities, in concert with state-of-the-art
automation and disease-specific
protocols. Dedicated to an effective and
unifying team approach, yet with individual accountability, our trained and
skilled work force will strive to exceed the expectations of patients,
families, physicians, payers and collaborators through the use of efficient
systems. We will produce quantifiable
results, utilizing all of our skills and resources to provide high quality care
to achieve no less than excellence in an exceptional home health care
agency. To this end our aim is to
maintain a proud work force, dedicated to the important work of the Agency and
confident of its direction. We embrace
the values of respect, accountability, integrity and passion for our work.
HISTORY
The Visiting Nurse Corporation of Colorado (VNCC) is the
Rocky Mountain Region's
oldest and largest home health care agency.
Founded in 1889 by a group of young society women, the organization
was known as The Flower Mission. Its purpose was giving comfort to the poor,
sick and those in need, a task the members accomplished by distributing flowers, delicacies, and
religious tracts in tenements, hovels, hospitals, and jails.
The Flower Mission founders rapidly discovered that pioneer Denver
needed a home nursing service. Hiring
its first nurse in 1890, the Flower Mission became the Visiting Nurse Association and was
incorporated in 1902.
Throughout its history, the Agency has developed a wide
range of programs to meet a growing community's changing health needs --
establishing “well child” clinics, fighting epidemics and, in 1948, entering
into an agreement with the City and County of Denver to consolidate all public
health nursing, except in public school nursing, into one agency, called the
Visiting Nurse Service (VNS).
As a section of the Denver Department of
Health and Hospitals, VNS staffed a wide range of health programs including home visiting, early
periodic screening, diagnosis, treatment, and the Rocky Mountain Poison Center.
In October of 1984, the Agency became a separate entity by
splitting from the City and County of
Denver. Today, we bring health care to Colorado residents in their homes,
community centers, churches, and workplaces.
Programs such as Wellness, Occupational Health, Flu Shot/Immunization,
and Tele-Medicine demonstrate our dedication to community health. In 1986, we expanded into the Colorado Springs area, bringing the number
of Colorado counties being served to
thirteen.
In 1987 the Agency's corporate structure was
reorganized. A parent agency, the
Visiting Nurse Corporation of Colorado, Inc. (VNCC), and its subsidiaries were
created. The Visiting Nurse Association
of the Denver Area, Inc. (VNA), a
Medicare certified agency, handled our Medicare clients. The Visiting Nurse Support Services, Inc.
(VNSS), also Medicare certified, provided care under Medicaid, managed care and
private insurance including health maintenance organizations (HMOs), preferred
provider organizations (PPOs), indemnity insurance plans, and grants, as well
as private pay arrangements. VNSS also
contained our Hospice-at-Home Division.
In the 1990's, the Agency became a thoroughly modernized
home health care provider, incorporating the latest technologies in I.V. care,
blood transfusions, and same day surgery recovery. We
also care for our society's health needs through our wide range of care to
persons with AIDS, and our ongoing concern for the indigent. In 1992 we opened VNA Hospice-at-Home,
providing quality compassionate care to the terminally ill patient and his or
her family.
Since 1991, the Agency has been accredited by the Joint
Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO) -- a public recognition of
the high quality of care we provide our patients.
On
January 1, 2005, the Agency’s
subsidiaries (VNA, VNSS) folded into the parent corporation and became the
Visiting Nurse Corporation of Colorado (VNCC).
The Agency maintains relationships throughout the state of Colorado
to ensure accessibility of service whenever we are asked to provide services
outside our regular service area. These relationships take many
forms, from informal agreements to contracts for backup staffing to management
contracts, including one in Grand County through which we provide
management support to that county's public health organization.
AFFIRMATIVE ACTION
Equal Employment Policy
The Agency offers equal opportunity for employment or
advancement to all qualified applicants or employees. Persons with authority to hire, discharge,
transfer or promote
personnel shall make these decisions without regard to race, color, religion,
national origin, age, sex, sexual preference, veteran
or disability status.
We strive to fill positions with the most qualified
individuals available. Employees will be
considered for
promotion or transfer in terms of present performance, specialized background
and potential, among other considerations.
Minimum age of employment for all positions is sixteen years old.
Harassment
The Agency is firmly committed to maintaining a positive
work environment, which is free of harassment or intimidation. In keeping with this commitment, the Agency
will not tolerate harassment of employees by anyone, including supervisors,
co-workers, patients, volunteers, or visitors to Agency premises. Nor will retaliation be tolerated as the
result of such a complaint.
Harassment consists of unwelcome conduct, whether verbal or
physical, that is based upon an individual’s sex, race, religion, national
origin, age, disability, or other classification protected by law. No harassment will be tolerated that affects
pay or benefits, that interferes with an employee’s work performance or that
creates an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working environment.
All harassment is prohibited, but sexual harassment deserves
special reference. Unwelcome sexual
advances, requests for sexual favors, or other verbal or physical conduct
constitute sexual harassment when submission to such conduct is explicitly or
implicitly a term or condition of employment, submission to or rejection of
such conduct is a basis for employment decisions, or such conduct has the
purpose or effect of substantially interfering with an individual’s work
performance or creating an intimidating, hostile, or offensive work
environment. Under these guidelines,
dating a subordinate is not appropriate.
Any employee who feels sexually harassed should take the
complaint to their supervisor, their supervisor's manager, the Director of
Human Resources or the President. All
complaints will receive immediate attention and will be investigated
thoroughly, promptly and impartially. No
retaliation will be tolerated as the result of such a claim. If such investigation warrants it,
appropriate disciplinary and other corrective action will be taken to stop the
harassment and prevent its recurrence.
This may include any disciplinary action deemed necessary, up to and
including termination of employment, based on the seriousness of the
offense. To the fullest extent
practical, complaints and related investigations will be kept confidential.
Non-Discrimination Policy
As a recipient of federal financial assistance,
the Agency does not exclude, deny benefits to, nor otherwise discriminate
against any person on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual
orientation, national origin, or on the basis of disability, veteran status or
age in admission to, participation in, or receipt of the services and benefits
of any of its programs and activities, or in employment therein, whether
carried out by the Agency directly, through a contractor, or by any other
entity with whom the Agency arranges to carry out its programs and activities.
This statement is in accordance with the
provisions of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and Regulations
of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued pursuant to the
Acts, and Title 45 Code of Federal Regulations Parts 80, 84, and 91. (Other Federal laws and regulations provide
similar protection against discrimination on grounds of sex and creed.)
In case of any questions
concerning this policy, or in the event of a desire to file a complaint
alleging violations of the above, please contact the Director of Human
Resources.
EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES
Access
to Personnel Records
You may
review your Personnel File with a representative of the Human Resource
Department. Requests should be made in
advance.
Attendance
Regular,
predictable attendance is an essential function for all appointed
employees. If for any reason you will be
late for work or unable to report to work, you must call your supervisor or
designated supervisor-on-call. Do not
leave a message with the answering service, receptionists, schedulers, a co-worker, or on
voice-mail. You must call prior to the
beginning of your shift; Extended Hours employees are to call four (4) hours
prior to the start of the shift.
Workload or patients will then be reassigned as appropriate.
Your
regular attendance at work is necessary for consistent, quality patient care and a productive work
environment. For benefited employees,
regular absences in excess of your monthly paid time off accrual are considered
excessive. Patterns of tardiness, absenteeism,
or no show/no call behavior will not be tolerated and will lead to disciplinary
action, up to and including termination.
Absences,
which qualify under the Family and Medical Leave Act, do not adversely affect
attendance records.
Any
employee who misses three consecutive scheduled working days without following
the call-in procedure will be terminated.
Any on-call
employee with whom there has been no contact for three months will be removed
from active employment status. On-call
employees must inform their supervisor of any changes in their availability to
work.
Bridge-In-Service
Appointed
employees who terminate employment from the Agency or move into a non-appointed
position may subsequently be rehired or move back into an appointed position. If you leave a benefit eligible (appointed)
position and are then rehired/reappointed into another
appointed position within six months, you may request a Bridge-in-Service for
the purpose of determining PTO accrual level.
Only your prior appointed service will be taken into consideration for
the purpose of determining your PTO accrual level. In the event that the rehire/reappointment date is not within six months of the
termination date, then you may request a Bridge-in-Service after completing one
year of continuous appointed employment.
A Bridge-in-Service will not affect eligibility
dates for any of the insured benefits plans (e.g., group health insurance,
group dental insurance, etc.) or other service records.
1. The Bridge-in-Service request must
be submitted in writing to your supervisor.
If approved, it will then be submitted to the Director of Human
Resources for consideration.
2. The Bridge-in-Service request must
be submitted in a timely fashion as follows:
within thirty days of your rehire/reappointed
date or within thirty days of your one year anniversary date as outlined in
paragraph 1.
3. The change in the PTO accrual level
will be effective the first day of the next applicable payroll period, in
accordance with the payroll deadline schedule.
4. Certain circumstances may warrant a
denial of a bridge-in-service request.
If a Bridge-in-Service request is denied, you have the right to appeal
this decision. The appeal must be in
writing, submitted within thirty days of the date of the denial, and directed
to the CEO/President. In addition,
exceptions to the policy may be granted by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or
his/her designee.
Change
of Personal Data
It is
your responsibility to inform the Human Resource Department immediately if your
name, address, phone number, or tax status changes. This will keep your records accurate. Also, keep your scheduler informed of your
current phone number at all times.
Conflict of Interest
Every
employee, regardless of level or capacity including officers, managers and
directors, is expected to make decisions in the best interest of the Agency,
and not for personal gain. Conflict of
interest is defined as an actual or perceived interest by any employee in an
action that results in or has the appearance of resulting in personal,
organizational or professional gain. A
conflict of interest can arise when an employee takes action or has a personal
interest that may make it difficult to perform his or her work for the Agency
objectively and effectively. A conflict
of interest is likely to arise if an employee becomes affiliated with a
business entity that is a competitor, customer, provider or supplier. This may include outside business interests,
outside employment, outside investments and business relationships with friends
or relatives. Family and personal
relationships have the potential for favoritism or inappropriate sharing of
confidential information. Employees must
conduct themselves in a manner that avoids actual or apparent conflicts of
interest and that protects the Agency’s business reputation
No
employee of the Agency shall, for personal gain or for the gain of others, use
any information not available to the public that was obtained as a result of
service to the Agency. No employee shall
personally exploit any business opportunity in which the employee knows or
reasonably should know the Agency is or would be interested, unless the Agency
first consents thereto in writing.
No
employee shall solicit or accept for personal use, or for the use of others,
any gift, favor, loan, gratuity, reward, promise of future employment or any
other thing of monetary value that might influence or appear to influence the
judgment or conduct of the employee in relation to Agency business. An employee may be exempted from the
restrictions in this paragraph by his or her supervisor as to a specified gift
or favor. The exemption shall be in
writing with a statement of the basis therefore. Individual administrative units within the
Agency may impose further restrictions on gifts or favors for employees within
the unit.
An
allegation of violations of this policy and the basis for allegation shall be
communicated, confidentially and preferably (but not necessarily) in writing,
to an administrator in the supervisory line of the alleged violator or, if that
would be problematic, to Human Resources to ensure that no adverse action is
taken, either directly or indirectly, against a complainant who makes
allegations in good faith. A violation
of this policy may subject an employee to disciplinary action, up to and
including termination.
Employment
Classification
Positions
are classified according to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) classifications.
- Exempt: An employee will be classified as exempt
from overtime if the employee holds a position whose duties may be
classified as Executive,
Administrative, Professional, or Outside Sales (i.e., management, select
supervisory positions, many of the licensed caregiver positions such as
RN, Homecare Coordinators, Therapist, MSW, etc.). These positions are defined by the job
performed rather than the number of hours worked or method of payment.
Certain individual
employees may be classified as non-exempt in these categories in
compliance with additional FLSA regulations.
- Non-Exempt: Any employee whose position is not
classified as exempt is non-exempt.
Positions included in this classification are those whose duties
may be categorized as Clerical, Technical, or Service Worker (i.e. office
support staff, licensed caregivers such as CNAs and LPNs, and unlicensed
caregivers). These employees are
entitled to overtime compensation for hours worked over 12 in one
day or 40 in one workweek.<
