1925
1935
The Visiting Homemakers Association (V.H.A.) incorporates.
1937
V.H.A. administers a fund to provide parental relief for polio victims.
1951
Homemaker services extended to care for sick children of working mothers of single-parent families.
1957
A three-year pilot project begins to determine needs for home care of the aged.
1958
Home care initiated under a federal health grant. V.H.A. is a participating agency. Provincial legislation means the province now provides financial assistance to municipalities for homemaker.
1964
V.H.A. receives grant from the Rotary Club to ensure pilot project with the elderly continues. V.H.A. provides service to Home Care Program. The Borough of East York begins providing senior services.
1969
V.H.A. moves to 170 Merton Street — a building donated by the W. Garfield Weston Foundation in memory of Mrs. Garfield Weston, a V.H.A. client.
1974
Parental Relief Program is financed by United Community Fund.
Family Support Service begins offering homemaking to families with a physically handicapped mother or one-parent families with a physically handicapped father.
1976
V.H.A. is accredited by the National (U.S.) Council for Homemaker-Home Health Aide Service Inc.
1977
Parental Relief Program receives subsidy from Metro Department of Social Services.
1980
V.H.A.’s Executive Director becomes the first President of the newly incorporated Canadian Council on Homemaker Services.
1981 to 1985
Increasing demand for homemakers and growing provincial government awareness means by 1985, 355,000 hours of service are provided.
1998
Nursing and health services programs are developed to complement the home and community support services. Complex nursing and medical procedures are increasingly performed in a client’s home. V.H.A. Registered Nurses and Registered Practical Nurses work in private homes as well as hospitals and long-term care facilities.
2000
V.H.A.’s 75th anniversary year.
Three-year accreditation status is awarded by the Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation.
United Way, along with the City of Toronto’s Homeless Initiative Fund, support V.H.A.’s Extreme Cleaning Program. The service helps people—often suffering from mental health challenges—facing eviction because their home does not meet public health standards.
2001 to 2002
Our name officially changes from Visiting Homemakers Association to VHA Home HealthCare, reflecting our growing continuum of health and home support services.
More than one million hours of care are delivered to over 9,500 clients and their families across all VHA programs.
Owned by VHA, Adams House, a supportive housing complex for tenants with severe mental illness who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, opens in downtown Toronto.
2003 to 2005
Our long-serving CEO/President David Wright retires and VHA welcomes Carol Annett as its CEO.
VHA wins breakthrough CCAC nursing contracts with Durham Access to Care, North York, Chatham-Kent and Sarnia Lambton CCACs growing our nursing program by over 100,000 service units.
VHA is accredited for a second three-year term.
To commemorate our 80th anniversary, VHA launched the Heroes in the Home Award as a way to recognize and honour unpaid caregivers in the health care industry - family members and friends who provide extraordinary home care to their loved ones.
2009
COTA Health’s Rehabilitation Services – which includes physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, social work services and diet and nutritional services – joins the VHA family to become VHA Rehab Solutions.
VHA earns accreditation status from Accreditation Canada for a third time.
2010
VHA celebrates its 85th anniversary.
2011
VHA moves its head office to 30 Soudan Avenue, Suite 600.
Its tagline is changed to “Creating More Independence” to better reflect what we provide to clients. After an in-depth analysis of our history and future aspirations as an organization, VHA revitalizes its Vision, Mission and Core Beliefs.
2012
Accredited with Exemplary Standing by Accreditation Canada for a second consecutive time.
2014
VHA introduces the Client and Family Voice, including creation of a Client and Carer Advisory Council. As a community care trailblazer in incorporating client and family insights, VHA begins speaking on the experience at conferences and, in 2015, is asked to advise other home care organizations on creating similar programs.
2015
VHA celebrates the 90th anniversary of the organization and the 10th anniversary of its Heart of Home Care Award!
After three years as a candidate, VHA becomes a Registered Nurses Association of Ontario (RNAO) Best Practice Spotlight Organization (BPSO) designate.
2016
Accredited with Exemplary Standing by Accreditation Canada for a third consecutive time.
Electronic Medical Records Initiative (EMRI) is rolled out province-wide, beginning with adult nursing program service providers.
2017
VHA receives Anchor Partner status with the United Way Toronto and York Region.
VHA expands Nursing and Dietetic teams in the Greater Toronto Area and discontinues service in Erie St. Clair.
2018
VHA continues partnership with University Health Network and Sunnybrook Hospital for two research fellowships for VHA staff and service providers.
2019
VHA’s new and inspiring Strategic Plan 2020-2025: CARE to Transform was developed, setting the organization on a strong path to continued success in an evolving health care system.
VHA is once again named a Best Practice Spotlight Organization (BPSO) designate by the Registered Nurse Association of Ontario (RNAO).
VHA plays a key role in five of the first Ontario Health Teams that are announced in November 2019.
2020
VHA is once again accredited with Exemplary Standing from Accreditation Canada for a three-year term.
VHA enhances its integrated care partnership with University Health Network and is named their lead home care agency.
VHA launches VHA Virtual Care in response to the urgent need to provide care whenever possible, without being face-to-face, during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Virtual Care allows VHA to enhance both client care and client safety, and address health care staffing issues, during the pandemic.
VHA collaborates with Michael Garron Hospital to begin operating a Transitional Care Unit known as the Kew Beach Unit to ease hospital capacity pressures during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
2021
Dr. Kathryn Nichol is welcomed as VHA’s new President and CEO following the retirement of longtime CEO Carol Annett.
VHA is re-designated as a Best Practice Spotlight Organization (BPSO) by the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) for a further two year term.
In response to the changing needs of Ontario’s healthcare system and the urgency of the provincial vaccine rollout in the wake of a COVID-19 third wave, VHA created THRU, which stands for Tactical HealthCare Response Unit.
2022
Expanding our involvement in integrated care initiatives across Ontario, VHA joined its 18th Ontario Health Team.
VHA welcomed the first Client Partner to join the organization’s Board of Directors.
VHA launched our myVHA Client Portal to give our clients greater control over how and when they receive care and to enhance our ability to communicate effectively with our clients and their families.
2023
VHA welcomed a team of In-House Pharmacists. This team filled first-of-their-kind roles as full-time experts to help our frontline teams and clients ensure safe medication management.
VHA is re-designated for a fifth term as a Best Practice Spotlight Organization (BPSO) by the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) for 2023-2025.
VHA expanded our integrated care programs, helping more clients to recover and receive care at home with the launch of two hospital-to-home programs with North York General Hospital and Michael Garron Hospital.
VHA launched a new charitable program in York Region, newly supporting clients needing extreme cleaning and hoarding support services in this region.