| Summary: | The Victorian Order of Nurses was established by Royal Charter in 1897 by Lady Aberdeen, wife of the then Governor-General to provide home care nursing to anyone who was in need of it. There were branches from Newfoundland to the Pacific Coast and each branch had a board of directors. The St. Catharines branch was founded in 1919 and the Lincoln County branch was organized in 1947. The V.O.N. was funded by public subscription, donations from industry, municipal grants and contributions from clubs and organizations. The service was offered to anyone in need at below cost, but nobody was ever refused because they were unable to pay. The services provided included: medical and surgical aid; dressings; compresses; care of convalescents, the chronically ill or the aging; care of maternity patients; pre-natal instruction and care of mother and baby. All V.O.N. nurses were graduates of accredited schools and were registered nurses. Most of the nurses had also taken a course in public health nursing. The V.O.N. has been instrumental in helping Canadians through the two World Wars and the Halifax Explosion. In 2005, the VON, was the largest single, national homecare organization. It is structured into a national service provider and local charities which are governed by volunteer Board members. The National Board is comprised of volunteers which are elected by the representatives of the local branches. On November 25, 2015, VON shut down all of their operations outside of Ontario and Nova Scotia due to a lack of funding. 7 cm. (1/4box) containing correspondence, clippings and promotional material
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