Renowned Cleveland Clinic Physician Becomes 'Visiting Nurse'

RED BANK, N.J., June 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Steven H. Landers, M.D., M.P.H., former Director of the Center for Home Care and Community Rehabilitation at Cleveland Clinic Foundation, has been named President and CEO of VNA Health Group, the largest nonprofit visiting nurse association in New Jersey and second largest in the country.  Dr. Landers, a certified family practitioner and geriatrician, will be the first physician to lead the century-old VNA, which has 500 community health nurses and over 1,700 employees across the state.

Landers' appointment underscores the agency's recognition that the way in which healthcare services are delivered, received and paid for continue to change in dramatic ways.  As a physician and nationally-recognized voice in the home health arena, Dr. Landers brings extensive experience to the statewide, community-based health care system.  His leadership will help forge essential new partnerships with physicians, hospitals, and other providers as we continue to enhance patient care across the continuum.

"VNA Health Group has been at the forefront of patient care and innovation throughout its century of service, and I am honored to join this amazing organization.  As we write our next chapter, we must break down silos between healthcare providers and facilitate communication and collaboration," said Dr. Landers.  "Together we can integrate new technologies, increase patient care efficiencies and improve outcomes," Landers said.

"The nation is aging and people want to remain healthy in their own home.  As a country and state, we simply cannot afford to keep people institutionalized.  It's a big problem to solve and I believe that home and community-based care -- led by our agency -- is a big part of the answer."

About Steven H. Landers, M.D., M.P.H. and VNA Health Group
Dr. Landers received his medical degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and a Master of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University.  He completed his residency at University Hospitals of Cleveland and Fellowship in Geriatric Medicine at Cleveland Clinic.  VNA Health Group is the largest not-for-profit visiting nurse association in New Jersey, with over 1,700 employees providing home care, hospice and community-based care to more than 120,000 people annually. 

Contact:  Kathy McKeever
732.224.6975

SOURCE VNA Health Group