VNA Community Healthcare

Pros

• The VNA staff are wonderful, caring, and helpful.
• Laura Pantani is amazing and highly supportive.
• Laura Pantani is smart, caring, sweet, compassionate, and loving.
• She is genuinely a great person.
• The reviewer highly recommends Laura Pantani.

Cons

• One nurse never wears gloves or washes hands.
• The nurse changes wounds and handles dirty gauze without gloves.
• The nurse never washes hands before coming or going.
• The patient became very sick as a result of this nurse's actions.
• The reviewer suspects the nurse is acting on purpose because she is experienced.

Review

The experience described revolves around care received after open-heart surgery, where a VNA team made a lasting impression for their dedication and kindness. The writer emphasizes that the entire cadre of nurses and physical therapists was wonderful - characterized by warmth, attentiveness, and genuine willingness to help. This support extended beyond mere medical tasks to include emotional encouragement and practical guidance, making a challenging recovery feel more manageable and less solitary. The tone throughout is one of gratitude and appreciation for the human aspect of the care they received.

Within this overall positive frame, the writers highlight the quality and character of the VNA nursing team, noting that every member contributed to a sense of safety and competent care. The person recounting the experience emphasizes the "very caring, very helpful" nature of the staff, underscoring how important it is to feel truly looked after during a vulnerable medical journey. The combination of professional skill and compassionate bedside manner stands out as a defining feature of the service.

A particular nurse, Laura Pantani, is singled out for extraordinary praise. The writer describes her as amazing and lists a string of attributes: incredibly supportive, helpful, smart, caring, sweet, compassionate, and loving. This nurse is portrayed as someone who not only performed tasks but also offered genuine warmth and personal connection. The reviewer expresses deep gratitude for Laura's presence and support, and there is a palpable sense of sadness that the need for her services has ended. The sentiment is that Laura Pantani is a standout professional - "genuinely a great person" - whose impact went beyond routine care to become a meaningful part of the recovery experience.

The appreciation for Laura Pantani sits alongside a broader sense of trust in the VNA team. The writer describes the care as holistic - encompassing wound management, rehabilitation guidance, and ongoing encouragement - delivered with a level of personal attention that made a difficult medical ordeal feel less daunting. This trust in the nurse's character and competence reinforces the overall narrative of a positive patient-provider relationship and a recovery path supported by skilled, compassionate professionals.

However, the overall message is not unqualified praise. The reviewer also recounts a troubling concern about the practices of another nurse within the same department. According to the account, this nurse allegedly did not wear gloves or wash hands, did not follow proper infection-control procedures, and handled wounds with dirty gauze, with no apparent hand hygiene before entering or leaving the patient's room. The result, as described by the patient, was a serious illness that followed, leading the reviewer to suspect that the lapse in hygiene might have been intentional rather than accidental. The claim is framed as a personal conclusion drawn from the patient's experience, and the author emphasizes that this is their belief rather than a confirmed fact.

The tension between the two experiences - overwhelming warmth and professional excellence from Laura Pantani and a grave infection-control allegation about another nurse - highlights the critical importance of safety and protocol in healthcare settings. The reviewer's account underscores how robust, compassionate care can coexist with serious concerns about hygiene and procedural adherence. It serves as a reminder that patient safety depends on consistent, transparent practices across all staff, not merely on individual acts of kindness or expertise.

In summation, the narrative blends deep gratitude for the compassionate, high-quality support provided by Laura Pantani and the VNA team with a stark caution raised by a serious allegation about another staff member's infection-control practices. The writer remains grateful for the care received and would enthusiastically recommend the standout nurse - Laura Pantani - while also hoping that any concerns regarding hygiene procedures are addressed to ensure all patients receive safe, uniformly rigorous care. The overall impression is one of heartfelt appreciation for the care that aided recovery, tempered by a call for stringent adherence to safety standards across the board.

Restaurants

• McDonald's (0.2 miles)
• The Place (0.3 miles)
• Ashley's Ice Cream Cafe (0.4 miles)
• South Lane Bistro (0.8 miles)
• Quattro's Italian Restaurant (0.8 miles)
• Guilford Mooring (1.3 miles)
• Guilford Lobster Pou (1.3 miles)

Physicians

• Guilford Pediatrics (0.5 miles)
• Connecticut Orthopaedic Spec (0.6 miles)
• Guilford Internal Medicine Group (0.7 miles)
• Guilford Radiology (1.5 miles)
• Connecticut Medical Group (1.5 miles)
• Gastroenterology Center of Connecticut (1.5 miles)
• Connecticut Pediatric Otolaryngology (2.4 miles)

Pharmacies

• CVS Pharmacy (0.6 miles)
• Walgreens (0.8 miles)
• CVS Pharmacy (3.9 miles)
• Bluepoint Wellness Of CT (5.3 miles)
• Rite Aid (5.6 miles)
• Walgreens (5.9 miles)
• Killingworth Family Pharmacy (7.2 miles)

Parks

• Guilford Town Green (0.7 miles)
• Rollwood Park (0.9 miles)
• Nut Plains Park (1.7 miles)
• Madison Surf Club (3.6 miles)
• Hammonasset Beach State Park (6.3 miles)
• Chatfield Hollow State Park (6.9 miles)
• Foote Memorial Park (7.2 miles)

Cafes

• Cilantro Specialty Foods (0.8 miles)
• Panera Bread (1.9 miles)
• Starbucks (8.1 miles)

Transportation

• Shore Line East - Guilford Train Station (1 miles)

Hospitals

• Middlesex Hospital Madison Outpatient Blood Drawing Facility (6.2 miles)
• Yale New Haven Hospital Blood Drawing Station (7.3 miles)
• Harbor House (7.4 miles)
• Hospital of Saint Raphael (7.7 miles)