RELEASE ON RECEIPT



                                      Contact:  Katherine Jackson

        U.VA. OFFERS A CONTINUUM OF CARE TO ITS PATIENTS
     CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA., Feb. 7--Patients who have returned home
following treatment at the University of Virginia Medical Center
will soon be able to receive on-going care through the Center's new
Continuum Home Health Care program.  
     The new patient care department based at the Colony Plaza
Building on Fontaine Avenue will be available to all U.Va. patients
regardless of their ability to pay beginning Feb. 20.  
     It will provide the areas' only 'one-stop' service for
discharged patients who need both technical intravenous therapy
expertise and skilled nursing care, according to program
administrator Barry Anderson.  
     Presently, skilled nursing care and home infusion therapy are
frequently unavailable to indigent U.Va. patients, and often
physicians are reluctant to discharge patients because of these
health concerns.  "Frail patients often linger in the hospital
unnecessarily because of limited resources," says Anderson.
     "Our feeling is that the medical center has an excellent
inpatient and outpatient care record.  We're trying to take that
expertise, translate it and extend it to patients who are receiving
treatment at home," says medical director Dr. James Morse.
     As hospital staff look for ways to decrease the length of
hospital stays while returning patients back to their homes and
communities safely, Continuum will be there to support those
efforts.  "Many of our services evolved from patient needs
identified by U.Va. physicians and other caregivers," says
registered nurse Maggie Short, director of patient care services.
     For example, Continuum can provide skilled nursing care needed
for mothers and babies after uncomplicated deliveries, who are now
home 24 hours after giving birth, says registered nurse manager
Daisy Denham.        
     Patient and family education is another important task of the
home health care service. To ensure "seamless" medical care, a
hospital-based liaison nurse will coordinate home health referrals
to Continuum and educate U.Va. care providers about services.
     Infusion therapy instruction will be provided by nurses who
specialize in this area of treatment. 
     Infusion therapy patients residing outside the Charlottesville
and eight surrounding counties will receive assistance from
Continuum staff in arranging relationships with other home health
care agencies, providing supplies and training when needed.
     The new facility will house administrative offices and provide
home base for Continuum registered nurses, therapists, social
workers and home health aides.  Pharmacists and nutritionists will
also be available for support and consultation to patients and
staff.
     By choosing Continuum, discharged U.Va. patients will have a
wide range of infusion therapists available to them including
chemotherapy, antibiotics and nutrition. Nursing services,
therapists, medical social workers and home health aides will also
be available to appropriate individuals.
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                                                    Feb. 6, 1995